UC ULP STRIKE DATE SET FOR NOVEMBER 14

“After months at the bargaining table and 26 Unfair Labor Practices filed, we have no choice but to move towards a strike,” said Jade Moore, a Postdoc and bargaining team member. 

Berkeley, CA – Tens of thousands of Academic Workers across all 10 campuses of the University of California will walk off the job and onto the picket line on Monday, November 14th unless the university stops its unlawful conduct so that meaningful progress can be made at the bargaining table. 

UAW represents 48,000 Postdocs, Academic Student Employees, Graduate Student Researchers, and Academic Researchers at UC, who together power UC’s research and academic mission. They perform the vast majority of teaching, grading and research at UC. After months of growing frustration over UC’s unlawful conduct thwarting progress at the tables over key issues, workers voted overwhelmingly to authorize their bargaining teams to call a statewide strike. Each bargaining unit is prepared to strike in response to the University’s unlawful behavior and in solidarity with the other Academic Workers.

Late last night, the bargaining teams all decided to proceed with a strike on November 14, unless UC ceases its unlawful conduct in order to reach fair contracts before then.

“Too many people are being forced out of UC because they aren’t paid enough to afford the rising cost of housing, on or off campus,” said Mai Do, a bargaining team member of UAW 2865. “I’ve had to take on credit card debt while working at UC just to cover my necessities, because over 60% of my salary is spent on rent alone. When workers like me are being paid $27,000 a year, we cannot just wait around for the University to change course and stop their unlawful conduct. We have no choice but to move towards a strike.”

“Our hope is that the University remedies its unfair labor practices so that we can reach fair agreements before November 14,” said Ahmed Akhtar, a bargaining team member of Student Researchers United-UAW. “We will do everything in our power to make that happen. But there are over 35,000 workers who voted in favor of strike authorization and are prepared to strike if necessary in order to hold UC accountable, and ultimately move us forward as a stronger institution.

Visit FairUCNow.org for details on strike planning.