University of California clerical employees and lecturers are
both claiming victory after strikes last week, though future work
stoppages remain a possibility.
In moves university officials considered illegal, clericals did
not show up for work at UC Berkeley and the UC Office of the
President in Oakland, from Aug. 26 through Aug. 28. Lecturers
struck on Aug. 28. The strikes were held in protest of the
UC’s alleged unfair bargaining practices. Additional strikes
at more campuses may be held if unions continue to believe the UC
is negotiating unfairly.
“Other campuses are looking at what kinds of actions they
can do to get the university to bargain in good faith,” said
Claudia Horning, statewide president of the Coalition of University
Employees, the clericals’ union. Additional strikes will be
considered “if that’s what it takes,” she
continued.
The unions received a show of support from the state Legislature
when Assemblywoman Carol Liu, D-Pasadena, who will chair the
Assembly Higher Education Committee next year, sent a letter signed
by 41 other legislators critical of the university’s labor
practices to UC President Richard Atkinson and UC Board of Regents
chair John Moores. The letter expressed dissatisfaction with
UC’s drawn-out labor negotiations and allegations of unfair
bargaining and suggested that state lawmakers may get involved.
“The Legislature may have few options other than to
intervene at this point,” said Liu.
University officials and union leaders disagreed on the impact
of the strikes on university business.
“There was not a serious impact on any services,”
said Berkeley press aide Carol Hyman.
For example, no one had to wait longer than 15 minutes at the
financial aid office. The clericals’ strike did cause
Berkeley to shut down health care operations outside of primary and
urgent care. Deliveries were also delayed when Federal Express
employees refused to cross picket lines on Aug. 26.
At Berkeley offices, managers and supervisors made up for absent
clericals, Hyman said. Berkeley officials estimated 40 percent of
clericals went on strike, according to Hyman, though CUE believes
the number is higher. The university estimate includes only counted
clericals at the picket lines, but some clericals stayed home,
Horning said. Many supervisors did not report absences, she
said.
Berkeley officials did not have any numbers on how many classes
were cancelled by the lecturers’ strike – the UC-AFT believes the
number is significant. Striking lecturers shut down between
one-half and two-thirds of classes at Berkeley on Aug. 28, said
UC-AFT press aide Fred Glass. Some classes were rescheduled or held
off campus rather than canceled, he added.
At press time, there were no future collective bargaining
meetings scheduled between the UC and CUE. UC-AFT will resume
negotiations with the university on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6. Lecturers
have already sent a new proposal to the UC, Glass said. The
university is waiting for CUE make a proposal of its own; however,
the UC will not accept CUE’s current position on wages.
“The ball is in the union’s court … if they
continue to demand 15 percent wage increases over the next two
years, it looks like we’ll likely be going to impasse and
mediation,” said Paul Schwartz, a UC press