The UAW 4811 labor union, which represents graduate students who work as teaching assistants, tutors, and researchers across the University of California system, is urging members at UCLA and UC Davis to go on strike to protest their campuses’ responses to pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The union argues that the UC system mishandled and escalated the situation by taking unlawful actions that infringed on the free speech of protesters. They are also protesting the arrests of union members who participated in the demonstrations. The UC system has filed an injunction to stop the walkout, but it was denied by the state Public Employment Relations Board.
The call for a strike comes after union members at UC Santa Cruz went on strike earlier in the week. The spring quarter at UC Davis ends on June 13, and at UCLA on June 14. The union claims that administrators at both campuses have violated collective bargaining agreements and are not respecting the rights of pro-Palestinian and antiwar activists. The UC system has not yet responded to the union’s call for strikes. The United Auto Workers, of which UAW 4811 is a part, represents a total of 48,000 graduate students across the UC system’s 10 campuses.
The announcement of the expanded strike at UCLA and UC Davis comes on the same day that UCLA Chancellor Gene Block testified before a Republican-led House committee about campus antisemitism. Block stated that UCLA should have acted more quickly to remove an encampment of pro-Palestinian activists that led to violent clashes at the end of April. More than 200 people were arrested during the incident. Block testified alongside presidents of Rutgers University and Northwestern University. UCLA has since announced that the campus police chief has been temporarily removed from his post pending an examination of security processes.
Pro-Palestinian activists returned to UCLA on Thursday, while police in riot gear stood nearby to prevent another encampment from forming. The university stated that it would not tolerate another encampment. The clashes between pro-Palestinian and counterprotesters in late April resulted in chaos and violence, prompting criticism of the campus response. The union’s call for strikes at UCLA and UC Davis highlights ongoing tensions between administrators, protesters, and labor representatives within the University of California system. The situation remains unresolved, with the potential for further demonstrations and responses in the coming days.
