The union representing teaching assistants and other University of California student academic workers announced Thursday it will strike for two days next month to protest alleged unfair labor practices by the University.
Members of UC Student-Workers Union, UAW Local 2865, will strike at various campuses from April 2-3. UCLA workers will strike only on Thursday, April 3, which falls during first week of spring quarter. During the strike, participating teaching assistants will not hold sections, grade papers or hold office hours.
UAW Local 2865 claims the UC is refusing to negotiate teaching assistant-to-student ratios and an 18-quarter limit on teaching assignments. The union has claimed its teaching assistants are often required to have large numbers of students in their classes and therefore have poorer working conditions.
The union is also striking to protest alleged intimidation of its workers by the University as they prepared for a solidarity strike last year. It claims UC administrators sent intimidating emails to its workers to deter them from participating in the strike. The union also claims that police filmed about 50 union members as they tried to hand-deliver a letter to the graduate dean at UC Berkeley about their working conditions.
UC spokeswoman Shelly Meron said the University does not believe it has done anything wrong and believes holding a strike will negatively affect students.
“We don’t think a strike is the answer,” Meron said. “The way to resolve these kinds of labor contracts is at the bargaining table, not at the picket line.”
Meron added that the UC does not comment on details of the collective bargaining process.
Compiled by Kristen Taketa, Bruin senior staff.