STRIKING UC WORKERS REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH UC

The agreement, which includes wage increases of up to 66% for some workers, will go to the membership for a ratification vote that will run Monday through Friday of next week. 

Sacramento, CA – As the nation’s largest-ever higher education strike approaches its 6th week, graduate student workers reach Tentative Agreements with the University of California. A media availability will be held tomorrow at 10am and 2pm pacific time – please reply to this email to request credentials. 

The UAW Academic Student Employee and Student Researcher bargaining teams announced they had reached tentative agreements on a contract with the University of California. After 32 days of the academic workers’ strike, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg stepped in to mediate between the parties and through his direct work with President Michael Drake, facilitated tentative agreements with major pay increases and expanded benefits aimed at fostering equity at the University. 

“Over the 2.5 years of this contract, workers will see raises of up to 66%, or over $13,000/year at some campuses. In addition to incredible wage increases, the tentative agreements also include expanded benefits for parent workers, greater rights for international workers, protections against bullying and harassment, improvements to accessibility, workplace protections, and sustainable transit benefits. I am so proud of what we were able to accomplish with this contract,” said Tarini Hardikar, a member of the SRU-UAW Bargaining Team at UC Berkeley.

“I want to congratulate the parties for today’s historic agreement,” said Darrell Steinberg, who served as Mediator. “Together, they reached a principled solution to end the difficult impasse. Even more important, leadership and members together with the University deserve enormous credit for what they did to transform graduate education in the world’s most dynamic university system. The union fought hard to ensure that the university’s graduate students make a living wage at every campus community. They and the University achieved a new national standard for members.”

The contract will now go to the union’s membership for a ratification vote. The dates and duration of the ratification vote have been set for Monday through Friday of next week. 

“Our union’s membership is the highest decision-making body, and it is now up to all members to vote on this tentative agreement. We have engaged in an extensive democratic process up to this point, including open bargaining sessions and widely-attended bargaining caucuses.” said Rafael Jaime, President of UAW 2865. “The progress we’ve made has been due to mass participation of membership, and it’s the membership who will decide on contract ratification.”