By Caitlin Roberson
bruin contributor
croberson@media.ucla.edu
The United Auto Workers union and the University of California
reached a tentative agreement on their contract Tuesday evening and
canceled the teaching assistant strike scheduled to begin
today.
Specific details of the agreement will not be released until
after a public UAW ratification vote next week. UAW policy requires
that all union members know agreement terms before they are
released publicly, said UAW spokeswoman Beth Rayfield.
The UAW had originally planned to have TAs strike today and
during finals week due to alleged unfair labor practices filed
against the UC. The UAW and the UC have been negotiating a new
contract since March. The contract expired Sept. 30.
The UAW wanted the right to sympathy strike, which is when one
union joins another union’s strike. It was also fighting for
binding arbitration ““ the designation of an impartial third
party to which both parties must adhere ““ to settle UAW and
UC conflicts.
The union also believed the UC sent negotiators who lacked
authority to implement meeting decisions, union officials said.
The UC argued that sympathy strikes break UC labor peace
agreements and “No Strike” policies and that binding
arbitration is unnecessary because TA contract terms have already
been determined. In addition, the university said its negotiators
do have sufficient authority and that allegations of unfair labor
practices were misleading.
Despite their differences, both the UAW and the UC agreed a
strike would have potentially detrimental effects on student
education.
Before an agreement was reached, UC President Robert Dynes said
Tuesday in a press conference that he wanted to reach an equitable
agreement as soon as possible.
“Everybody loses if TAs go on strike. The TAs lose, the
university loses and the students really lose,” he said.
“If I look unhappy, I am unhappy.”
With finals being so close, the UC and the UAW reached an
agreement to avoid negative impacts on undergraduate
instruction.
To inform its members ““ many of whom are UC TAs ““
the union has sent out e-mails, held meetings and posted
information on its Web site, Rayfield said.
Still, some TAs feel the UAW has not been as direct and
informative about the strike as it should be.
Mehera Gerardo, TA for a general education history class, said
she has felt in the dark about the strike for a some time.
“The union has not been great about keeping us
updated,” she said.
The strike was scheduled to begin early 10th week until the
union sent an e-mail at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday saying the strike would
commence Thursday instead, Gerardo said.
“I showed up (Tuesday) without any of my materials or work
clothes because I hadn’t read my e-mail,” Gerardo
said.
“I wasn’t prepared to teach my discussion sections
that day,” she added.
Many professors have also had to deal with being kept in the
dark about whether their TAs would strike.
History Professor Kevin Terraciano felt unsure about how to
structure his final because of the impending strikes.
The class final exam is scheduled for Dec. 10 ““ six days
after the strike was scheduled to start ““ so Terraciano did
not know if the strike would be over in time for his TAs to grade
it.
Terraciano originally envisioned a final consisting of multiple
essay and short answer questions, but was prepared to compose an
alternative exam consisting of multiple choice questions addressing
the same material if his TAs were still striking.
“I couldn’t possibly read 320 essays, so I would
have needed to make a new final of only multiple choice. I have
never done that before,” he said.
Since his TAs will not be on strike, Terraciano can go back to
his initially prepared exam format.
Terraciano’s students are relieved their TAs will not be
striking.
“I was concerned about our final because I did not fully
understand how to answer multiple choice questions about essay
question topics,” said first-year undeclared student Damon
James.
“Now that the strikes have been terminated, I’m less
worried,” he added.
Gerardo said she was pleased that the strike was called off as
well, as she is no longer as worried about her students and their
preparation for the final.
“You get attached to students and invested in them. To
feel like you are abandoning them right when they really need you
is a painful experience,” she added. “Now, I can again
be available to them.”