By: Sam Farfan and Nicholas Broadhead
University of California officials disclosed newly-ratified contracts for many United Auto Workers student union members on Dec. 9 following the labor strikes across all 10 UC campuses.
Bargaining units UAW 5810, UAW 2865 and the newly-formed Student Researchers United-UAW represent postdoctoral scholars, academic researchers, teaching assistants and graduate student instructors at each UC campus. Through their protests, these bargaining units are united in their fight for a more equitable UC system.
Approximately 48,000 unionized academic workers voted to strike starting Nov. 14 in demand of higher wages, more comprehensive benefits and job security after months of failed negotiations with UC administrators. The UC strike is the largest academic movement to impact U.S. higher education, according to the California Faculty Association.
Ben Huff, a CFA Long Beach member and associate professor at Long Beach State, demonstrated support for the strikers in an article from CFA.
“It is vitally important that anyone working in higher education support this historic strike,” Huff said. “We all deserve to have our work in academia treated with respect and dignity. Unity and support will always lead us down the road to victory.”
After weeks of protests, UAW student union members emerged victorious after a successful bargaining session with UC officials as tentative agreements were announced on Nov. 29.
According to the University of California, the main points of the agreements for postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers included $2,500 annual reimbursement for childcare expenses, eight weeks of paid family leave and access to a pre-tax program to pay for transit costs.
The main difference between the agreements was that postdoctoral scholars would receive an average salary increase of 8%, while academic researchers would receive a salary increase of 4.5% in the first year.
Giovanna Alcantar, a first-year political science Ph.D. student and student researcher at the University of California Irvine, described how the strikers’ perseverance was the catalyst in creating effective change.
“We haven’t just been picketing on campus, but actually taking over offices and showing up at Chancellors’ homes,” Alcantar said. “I think that the escalation has had an effect on bringing the UCs back to the bargaining table.”
However, not all bargaining units were offered a seat at the table as teaching assistants and other academic student employees were excluded from the contracts.
The newly-ratified agreements included a no-strike clause for postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers. This clause forces them to cross the picket lines and break the solidarity they formed with the remaining union members.
Since student teachers and assistants help the academic operations of UC institutions, the strikes have canceled several classes and labs for weeks.
Jake Emery, a third-year environmental science student at the University of California San Diego, discussed the impact of the labor strike on his undergraduate education.
Because his Spanish courses are taught by his professor’s teaching assistants, who left to participate in the strike, Emery has not had a lecture in about four weeks.
“It’s a rip off. [UCSD] is taking thousands of dollars for these classes and then half of them, probably even more, are heavily affected by the strikes,” Emery said.
He assured that although the quality of his education has decreased due to the effects of the strike, Emery understands the reasoning behind the protests and supports the student employees in their pursuit of higher wages.
Similarly, Alcantar mentioned how she holds a divided perspective on the strike as both a student and a researcher, especially since union members have to dedicate 20 hours to the picket lines in order to access funds for those whose pay has been withheld.
“It’s taking away a lot of our time to be on the picket line, and that takes away from schoolwork,” Alcantar said. “From a personal perspective, the strike does affect our learning, but it’s a sacrifice we have to make for the movement.”
A private mediation agreement between UC officials and the remaining bargaining units was made as a result of a negotiation deadlock between both parties. A neutral mediator will be included to oversee any future negotiations, but until tentative contracts are reached for the other members, student union members will continue to strike.