Hundreds of teaching assistants and tutors gathered at several
sites across campus last week to vote on whether to give the union
authority to call a strike during negotiations in March.
The United Auto Workers Local 2865, which represents more than
12,000 graduate student instructors, conducted the vote across all
nine University of California campuses.
If the authorization vote passes by the necessary two-thirds
majority, it would have no immediate impact, but would allow the
union to strike during the contract-renewal talks in March, in
effect giving them the option to strike if they are not happy with
the negotiations.
“If the vote passes, it will send a strong message to the
university that we are prepared to go on strike,” said Scott
Bailey Clifthorne, president of UAW Local 2865. Clifthorne said the
UC has a long history of bargaining unfairly with unions.
All graduate students part of the union were eligible to vote,
and some saw the benefit of having leverage during the talks.
“I voted for the authorization because it will give us the
necessary leverage to receive proper compensation during the spring
negotiations,” said a graduate student who declined to be
named due to possible employment conflict.
The student, who volunteered at one of the voting sites outside
Young Research Library, said he expected the authorization would
pass because most union members want to have the option of
striking.
The union’s current contract with the university contains
a “no-strike” clause, Clifthorne said.
But he said if the university should break union laws during the
negotiations, they are eligible to go on strike.
“There are economic concerns regarding our wages that will
be brought up,” he said.
The last time the union went on strike was in October 2003. That
strike was the result of the university allegedly violating 64
labor practices. During the strike, graduate students across the UC
campuses protested and discussion sections were canceled near
finals time.
The union almost went on strike again in December of that year,
but last-minute negotiations with the university prevented it.
During the strike in 2003, some students were upset because they
were unable to receive the help from TAs they believed they needed,
the Daily Bruin reported,
But not all current students are concerned by the notion of a
strike.
“I simply would not care if (TAs) went on strike,”
said Jonathan Yee, a first-year undeclared student. “There is
an alternative, which is students reviewing on their own without
the help of (TAs).”
As of Sunday afternoon, the results of the voting were not in.
However, the general consensus was that it would pass.
“From my conversations with people working at the polls, I
expect the authorization to pass,” said Clifthorne.