SAGE committee makes strike official
Graduate union members to walk out fourth week
By Betty Song
Walkout committee members of the Student Association of Graduate
Employees (SAGE) announced their decision yesterday to officially
call a two-day strike April 26 and 27.
The nine-member walkout committee was formed and authorized at
the last meeting in March to call a strike. After garnering the
required number of 1,000 signatures of union members supporting the
strike and failed attempts to meet and negotiate with Chancellor
Charles Young, committee members informed union members that they
had "exhausted all other possibilities."
Although the committee was given power to call a walkout last
month, some members who attended yesterday’s meeting felt that more
discussion was necessary.
"My concern is that the action is not supported by many of the
graduate students," said biology doctoral student Vincente Cassano.
"Instead of the act making SAGE stronger, it could isolate us from
other graduate students.
"In the biology department there is strong support for SAGE but
not (for) the walkout," he explained.
Details for organizing the two-day walkout will be hammered out
within the week according to walkout committee members. Plans
include organizing graduate students from south campus, mostly
constituted by the physical and life science departments.
"South campus seems detached and one of the main organizing
activities now is to get as many views as possible," said committee
member Patrick Burns.
"South campus has less than average organizational strength,"
Burns added. "We’re preparing to reach out to those members."
Although biology student Cassano is planning to participate in
the two-day strike, the fact that the chancellor’s strong
pro-affirmative action stand is against many UC Regents’ positions
should also be taken into consideration, Cassano said.
"We should do another form of protest to show a little more
understanding of the broad political scenario," he explained. "The
chancellor is under fire, and I don’t think we should put him on
the spot (now)."
Walkout committee members said that the only thing that would
convince them to call off the strike would be if Young recognizes
the union.
"Over a thousand people signed a petition and you can’t ignore
that," said Darlene Rodrigues, a walkout committee member.
Participating in the walkout would mean "respecting" the picket
line. As a result, while the picket line is up, graduate student
employees would be expected to refrain from coming onto campus to
teach, hold office hours, conduct research or other job-related
activities, according to SAGE literature.