LOS ANGELES — University of California academic workers voted to authorize a strike in connection to alleged unfair labor practices at University of California, Los Angeles.
UAW4811 said the vote was in response to UC's actions toward their rights to free speech, protest and collective action.
The union is compromised of 48,000 workers, including teaching assistants, tutors, student researchers, postdocs and academic researchers.
79% of participating members voted to authorize a stand up strike if needed. This type of strike means not all represented workers would be called on to go on strike at the same time. The ones who do would be decided by the union's executive board.
“At the heart of this is our right to free speech and peaceful protest,” said Rafael Jaime, a graduate worker in the English department and president of UAW 4811. “If members of the academic community are maced and beaten down for peacefully demonstrating on this issue, our ability to speak up on all issues is threatened. The UC Regents have no excuse to allow campus administration to commit severe unfair labor practices, as was done at UCSD and UCLA and reflected in the unfair labor practices filed by our Union. As days pass with no remedies for UC’s unfair labor practices, academic workers on more and more campuses are preparing to stand up to demand that our rights to free speech, protest, and collective action be respected.”
In response to the move, the University of California provided ABC10 the following statement.
"For 150 years, the University of California has stood as a catalyst for collective action in service to social good. We have a proud history of respecting advocacy movements by our students, faculty, and staff and believe that the right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of democracy.
Additionally, we deeply value the contributions of our union-represented employees to our mission. We have worked closely with them to negotiate fair contracts that include increased compensation, more robust benefits, and, for UAW-represented members, free and discounted tuition to receive a world-class degree.
UC believes that a strike sets a dangerous precedent that would introduce non-labor issues into labor agreements. If a strike is allowed for political and social disputes, the associated work stoppages would significantly impact UC’s ability to deliver on its promises to its students, community and the State of California. To be clear, the UC understands and embraces its role as a forum for free speech, lawful protests, and public debate. However, given that role, these non-labor-related disputes cannot prevent it from fulfilling its academic mission. Further, this precedent would apply far beyond the University, impacting public employers across the state and their ability to deliver core services.
While we acknowledge the profoundly troubling issues about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and understand their impact on our students and employees, the University maintains that these issues fall outside the scope of negotiation for employment and the implementation of existing labor contracts.
The University's focus remains on providing each student with the education they have paid for and discussing appropriate workplace concerns with all union-represented employees that honor their commitment to our students and provide competitive compensation and safe, equitable working conditions for everyone."
WATCH ALSO:
