UC Santa Cruz Students Move Encampment to Support UAW Strike Picket Line

During the afternoon, several hundred people filled the streets at the main entrance to campus, and traffic was diverted away from the intersection of Bay and High, with the west entrance of campus remaining open. By the early evening, the intersection was clear and traffic was flowing again into campus, however with the main entrance being shut down for several hours, UCSC Chancellor Cynthia Larive and Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Lori Kletzer announced the university would be switching to remote instruction for May 21 and 22.

UAW 4811, the labor union that represents 48,000 Academic Student Employees, Graduate Student Researchers, Academic Researchers and Postdocs across the University of California system, held union elections from May 13-15 and voted to authorize the strike.

According to UAW 4811's website, the strike was called by union members in response to "unlawful and escalatory" actions taken by the University of California in relation to the growing movement of Palestine Solidarity encampments and other protests held on UC campuses. The escalatory and unlawful actions detailed by UAW 4811 include:

* Actively risking the health and safety of UAW 4811 members and members of the university community by allowing violent attacks on peaceful pro-Palestine protesters, both by violent anti-Palestine agitators and by police.
* Making unilateral changes to working conditions that have impacted our teaching, our work obligations, our safety and our academic freedom
* Summoning the police to forcibly eject and arrest UAW Local 4811 members in retaliation for those employees engaging in peaceful protest activity demanding work-place related changes.
* Disciplining employees for engaging in peaceful protest activity demanding work-place related changes.

Separate from the ULP charges, UAW 4811 has created the following set of demands in support of the Palestine Solidarity movement:

In order to de-escalate the situation, UC must substantively engage with the concerns raised by the protesters — which focus on UC’s investments in companies and industries profiting off of the suffering in Gaza. UAW 4811 is calling on UC to peacefully negotiate with stakeholders and reach agreement to address these concerns through:

1. Amnesty for all academic employees, students, student groups, faculty, and staff who face disciplinary action or arrest due to protest.
2. Right to free speech and political expression on campus.
3. Divestment from UC’s known investments in weapons manufacturers, military contractors, and companies profiting from Israel’s war on Gaza.
4. Disclosure of all funding sources and investments, including contracts, grants, gifts, and investments, through a publicly available, publicly accessible, and up-to-date database.
5. Empower researchers to opt out from funding sources tied to the military or oppression of Palestinians. The UC must provide centralized transitional funding to workers whose funding is tied to the military or foundations that support Palestinian oppression.


More information about the ULP strike can be found on the UAW 4811 website:
https://www.uaw4811.org/

Students at the encampment have been calling for support and posting event announcements on the UC Santa Cruz Students for Justice in Palestine Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/ucscsjp/


Alex Darocy
https://alexdarocy.blogspot.com/