Thousands of unionized academic workers at UC San Diego went on strike Monday, joining an intensifying conflict across many campuses over how officials have responded to Gaza war demonstrations just as the university system began a new effort to end the walkout.þþAt UC San Diego, picketing began Monday morning, followed by a demonstration in front of Geisel Library where students criticized the administration’s decision to have police raid a pro-Palestinian encampment and arrest dozens of students last month.þþ“We’re striking because the UC has condoned and used violence against its own workers,” said Adam Hall, a graduate student and union member.þþThe United Auto Workers Local 4811 — which represents 48,000 teaching assistants, researchers and other workers across the UC system — is particularly angry that police at UC San Diego, UCLA and UC Irvine shut down pro-Palestinian encampments in recent weeks, in confrontations that led to scores of arrests.þþThe UC system has called the strike illegal and made a second unsuccessful attempt Monday to persuade state labor regulators to shut down the rolling strike. The UC said it was disappointed and would ask a state court to end the strike, which will involve six of the system’s 10 campuses by mid-week.þþ“UC will file a breach of contract action against UAW in state court as a next step,” said Melissa Matella, associate vice president for systemwide labor relations.þþThe move comes as UC San Diego is in the midst of the last week of spring quarter classes. Final exams begin on Saturday, and the school’s Academic Senate has told faculty they can do such things as administer no-fault exams, where a final exam grade cannot negatively impact a student’s grade.þþThe UC’s planned legal action drew a sharp response from Rafael Jaime, president of UAW 4811. “UC continues to shirk accountability for the violence it has caused and allowed against union members and the campus community,” he said.þþDemonstrations arose last year on university campuses nationwide, including UC San Diego, soon after Israel invaded Gaza following the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack, but they have grown as the war’s civilian toll and humanitarian crisis have.þþThe tension at UC San Diego peaked on May 6 when 200 officers swept in and quickly dismantled a protest encampment for Gaza. Dozens of people were arrested.þþThat followed clashes and crackdowns on other campuses around the country, including UCLA.þþThe UAW responded by calling for strikes. In successive actions, academic workers soon walked off the job at UCLA, UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz — schools where UAW members collectively teach more than 5,130 undergraduate classes, seminars, discussion sections and laboratory sections, the university system said.þþIn a filing with state labor regulators last week, it said union members “have forcibly occupied an academic building at UCLA and damaged it with graffiti, invaded classrooms where faculty and students were trying to learn, blocked roadways, and have refused to teach, conduct seminars, administer exams, among other duties that students rely on to complete their course work.”þþThe strike expanded to UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara on Monday and is set to begin at UC Irvine on Wednesday.þþIt’s unclear how things will unfold this week at UC San Diego. The campus has about 8,000 UAW members. But only 150 or so students turned out Monday for a rally in front of Geisel Library. Many picket signs went unused, because there weren’t enough students to hold them. A similar crowd turned out for an afternoon protest by the pro-Palestine coalition UCSDivest.þþNeither UC San Diego nor the UAW could say how many academic workers it expected to participate in the strike.þþThe administration said in a statement that it was trying to minimize disruptions and limit the impact.
Source: sandiegouniontribune.com
