Lecturers, clerical workers strike at UC

Press Release from the UAW

University of California Campuses -- UAW Local 2865, representing nearly 11,000 teaching assistants, readers and tutors at the University of California, will honor the picket lines to be set up this week by lecturers and clerical workers at UC campuses throughout the state.

The Coalition of University Employees (CUE) represents more than 18,000 UC clerical employees, and the University Council/American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) represents more than 4,000 UC lecturers. CUE and UC-AFT will begin strikes on Monday, Oct. 14, to protest unfair labor practices by the university at campuses across the state.

During the academic student employees' contract negotiations in the 1999-2000 school year, the UAW filed more than 100 unfair labor practice (ULP) charges against UC, resulting in one ULP strike and the threat of another. Once the university met its legal obligations, members of UAW Local 2865 negotiated a ground-breaking contract which is one of the strongest in the nation for academic student employees.

"Our union is all too familiar with UC's pattern of bad-faith bargaining" said Aarti Iyer, vice president of UAW Local 2865. "We had to go on strike during our first contract negotiations to teach the administration what it means to obey the law and bargain in good faith. It's too bad that lesson hasn't stuck, but our members will do what it takes to make UC live up to its legal obligations."

"We support CUE and UC-AFT in their struggle" said Dan Lawson, president of UAW Local 2865. "It's time for the administration to live up to its legal obligations, at the bargaining table and at the workplace, and to respect the rights of its workers and their unions."

The nearly 11,000 teaching assistants, readers and tutors represented by UAW 2865 perform more than 60 percent of the individual face-to-face instruction of students at the eight undergraduate teaching campuses of the university of California. UAW Local 2865 and the university administration will begin bargaining their second contract in winter 2003.

Contact:
Zach Fish, financial secretary, UAW Local 2865: (909) 369-8075
Dan Lawson, president, UAW Local 2865: (510) 549-3863