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UC Workers Announce First In A Series Of Strikes Will Be At UC Santa Cruz
Student workers and supporters walk from UCLA to Wilshire boulevard.
(
Julia Barajas
/
LAist
)
Topline:
The union that represents academic workers across the University of California is set to launch its first strike on Monday, at the University of California, Santa Cruz campus. The series of strikes is a response to the university system's crackdown on campus protests.
Why is this happening? The union, UAW 4811, has filed unfair labor practice charges against the University of California. The union alleges that the system violated the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act’s “prohibition on retaliating against employees for engaging in concerted actions related [to] working conditions.”
The union says employees are demanding workplace-related changes, including the right to “opt out of participation in military-funded research as part of employment.”
UC says: In a statement, a UC system vice president said that the workers’ “decision to strike over non-labor issues violates the no-strike clause of their contracts.” The system also said that the union’s demands are political and fall “outside the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.”
How it'll work: Union leaders have called on workers at UC Santa Cruz to form a picket line, stop all teaching, and “wind down” their research. The union’s president also told workers at other campuses to stand by.
What's the strategy? The union is using “stand-up” strikes that follow the recent example of autoworkers at Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors. It asks workers to walk out at specific locations, rather than all at once — making it harder for universities to plan.
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