As the 48,000-member UC Academic Workers Union announced a strike Monday at UC Santa Cruz over alleged violations of free speech during pro-Palestinian protests, the University of California filed a labor grievance Friday to stop the strike. which they say is an illegal action, increasing tensions. shaking up the university system.
The union's decision to strike at the 19,764-student campus, where nearly 2,000 students are in graduate school, could deal a blow to operations at a critical time during the final weeks of spring quarter.
The attack on UC Santa Cruz came after 79% of voting members statewide this week authorized union leaders to call “ongoing” strikes, not over wages and benefits, but over alleged unfair labor practices against workers. union members who supported the Palestinians. student protests demanding that universities divest from Israel and arms companies.
The union represents graduate students, teaching assistants, researchers and other academic workers at the University of California's 10 campuses.
The Santa Cruz strike would be the first of potentially several work stoppages that the union intends to launch one by one across campuses to demand that UC administrators change their approach toward pro-Palestinian protesters.
Strike threats prompted UC leaders to file their own state unfair labor practice charge against the union on Friday, calling on the state labor board to order student workers to “cease and desist” from the strike. .
“This strike directly violates the [collective bargaining agreement’s] It has no strike provisions and has no bearing on the employment of UAW members at the university. Instead, as communications from the UAW and its members make clear, the UAW is striking to support protest activities surrounding the conflict in the Middle East,” the UC said in its filing with the state labor board.
UC officials allege the strike is illegal because of a no-strike clause in the union contract, ratified in late 2022, that won significant pay increases and benefit improvements for union members. The union argues that the strike is within its legal rights because it is related to an unfair labor practice charge that workers filed in early May with the state labor board.
“Particularly in the current climate, if UAW [and other unions] “If we can ignore the no-strike clauses, the University (and every other public agency in California) would face constant strikes to promote political and/or social views,” the university document said.
J. Félix De La Torre, general counsel for the labor board, said a decision on the cease-and-desist order sought by the university could come as early as next week. He added that the labor board also offered a mediator in an effort to help resolve the dispute.
The union decided to strike at a smaller UC campus where tensions have been lower and police have not been called to make arrests or raids. But the campus is no stranger to worker protests. In 2020, the university laid off dozens of graduate students from their teaching assistant positions after strikes there. At least 17 arrests were made during a similar student-led demonstration.
This spring, UCLA, UC Irvine and UC Berkeley have been particularly volatile hotbeds of pro-Palestinian protests. A violent mob attack on a pro-Palestinian UCLA camp last month led to multiple investigations into how the university handled the melee and a delay in police response.
For two weeks, UC Santa Cruz students, including unionized graduate students, have held a pro-Palestinian camp on campus in support of divestment from Israel. The strike comes as protesters and the university administration have indicated they have reached a stalemate. Protest leaders said Thursday they were “under imminent threat of police raid” after they said the university gave them formal notice to “cease all camping activities on university property.”
In a letter to the Santa Cruz campus community on Friday, campus Provost Lori Kletzer said the university would work to minimize disruptions from the strike “especially given the many educational and research disruptions that have affected students.” and researchers in recent years.
No length was given for the strike, which the union announced with a promotional video on social media site X, but a UC Santa Cruz union member said it could last until June 30.
Rafael Jaime, co-president of United Auto Workers Local 4811 and a doctoral candidate in the English department at UCLA, said that to resolve the strike the union needs to “see a real commitment from the university to respect our rights to free speech and peaceful protest on campus.” .”
A first step would be for administrators to reconsider the discipline and suspension notices that have been sent to some student workers involved in the protests, he said.
Speaking before the strike decision, Jaime said a strike would mean “all academic work would cease, including research, teaching and grading”.
Student workers will receive $500 a week in strike pay, or about 33% less than what the average teaching assistant makes for a 20-hour work week, he said.
Jess Fournier, a union representative at UC Santa Cruz, said that while the alleged unfair labor practices did not take place on their campus, workers see the university's response as a threat to workers across the UC system.
“If members of our academic community are being beaten and beaten for peacefully protesting, our ability to organize collectively as workers and our fundamental right to freedom of expression and protest on any issue are threatened.”
Fournier said academic workers at the university would continue their strikes for the next few months until the university resolves alleged unfair labor practices.
“If they refuse to do so, more campuses can be convened as necessary. “The workers at all campuses are very excited about this,” they said. “This is a problem at the state level. Even if we are the ones leading the charge. It seems very likely that other campuses will follow suit unless and until these unfair labor practices are resolved.”
Earlier this week, the California Federation of Labor voted to grant the union a strike sanction, a designation that encourages other unions and their members to honor any potential picketing if their contracts allow it.
“It is an act of solidarity, it is a symbol and a message for all California workers,” said Lorena González, president of the federation and former state assemblywoman. “Whether you agree or disagree with what the protesters were doing, the most important question is: should workers be retaliated against for their right to free speech and protest?”
Experts say the union is taking a novel approach in its strike because it is not about contractual issues but about freedom of expression.
The union complaint centers on the arrests of pro-Palestinian graduate students protesting at UCLA and suspensions and other disciplinary actions at UC San Diego and UC Irvine. It accuses universities of retaliating against student workers and illegally changing labor policies to suppress pro-Palestinian speech.
In a letter sent to graduate student workers on Wednesday, UC officials warned students not to strike.
“Participating in the strike does not change, excuse or modify an employee's normal job duties or expectations. And, unlike a protected strike, you could be subject to corrective action for failing to perform your duties,” the unsigned letter from the UC president’s office said.
The letter also advocated for universities to use riot police to break up protests.
“We have a duty to ensure that all speech can be heard, that our entire community is safe, and that our property and common areas are accessible to all. “These duties require UC to take action when protests endanger the community and violate our shared standards regarding safe behavior and use of public spaces,” he said.
The strike vote comes as campuses across the UC system have experienced tensions and protests over the war between Israel and Hamas, including a violent mob attack on a pro-Palestinian camp at UCLA and the arrest of 47 protesters at UC Irvine on Wednesday.
UC Riverside and UC Berkeley have reached agreements with protesters to end the encampments and explore divestment from gun companies. Leaders of those universities have rejected calls to specifically attack Israel or to academically boycott exchange programs and partnerships with Israeli universities, as some protesters have demanded.
While some Jewish students have supported the pro-Palestinian camps, national Jewish groups have criticized the divestment movement. They say it is anti-Semitic because it seeks to delegitimize the only predominantly Jewish nation.
In Santa Cruz, The Times' emails and calls to several Jewish student organizations seeking comment on the strike and pro-Palestinian protests were not immediately returned.
“We are aware of the challenges occurring on campus and at this time we are focusing all of our attention on supporting students and working with campus administration,” said an automated response from Becka Ross, executive director of Santa Cruz Hillel.
Times staff writer Suhauna Hussain contributed to this report.
