The union that represents tens of thousands of University of California academic workers is asking its 8,000 members at UC San Diego to join a multi-campus strike Monday to protest the government’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests. administrators.
United Auto Workers Local 4811 also called on its members at the Irvine and Santa Barbara campuses to go on strike. Workers at UCLA, UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz have already demonstrated on the picket lines.
The UCSD strike would take place on the first day of spring quarter final exams, traditionally one of the most stressful times of the year for students. And it would involve workers who do everything from correcting homework to giving lectures to those who help conduct Alzheimer’s research and climate change studies.
The strike demands represent a potentially major expansion of student resistance against UC officials, who have been accused by the union of violating citizens’ free speech rights and using violence to expel and arrest pro-Palestinian protesters at UCSD, UCLA and UCI.
The union represents about 48,000 university workers — most of whom are students — across the UC system’s 10 campuses.
On May 6, UCSD police and officers from the California Highway Patrol and San Diego County Sheriff’s Department dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment that had been set up near Geisel Library. Police also arrested 65 people, most of them UCSD students.
The arrests sparked sometimes violent physical clashes between police and pro-Palestinian protesters — a sight rarely seen at UCSD since the height of the Vietnam War.
“The reason we are striking is because we believe UC committed egregious unfair labor practices in response to our peaceful protest against the war in Gaza,” said Sarah Van Dijk, a graduate student who spoke on behalf of UCSD university workers who are members of the union.
“We have filed a number of unfair labor practices against (the UC), including creating an unsafe work environment and making unilateral changes to our work environment.”
She said those changes included closing access to some buildings and public transportation to campus, as well as temporarily moving classes online without notice.
UCSD and the UC System view the rotating strike as violating the union contract and have supported it in filings with state labor regulators.
“While UC San Diego is taking steps possible to minimize impacts on the continuity of research and learning, this illegal strike harms our students by disrupting typical course instruction, assignment grading and other learning activities during a critical time of year when students are in class. diligently prepare for final exams and complete final projects,” school officials said in a statement Friday afternoon.
Monday’s labor action will include a demonstration at Warren Mall, immediately east of Geisel Library, starting at 9 a.m.
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