United Auto Workers 4811 overwhelmingly voted yes in authorizing a strike in support of protecting the rights of union members and students to protest. In early May, the encampment in support of Palestinian rights at UCLA saw attacks from counterprotestors and blatant inaction from the police and campus security. A supermajority of the voting members of UAW 4811 found this intolerable, and have opted for the union to implement a Stand Up ULP strike, in which "not all represented workers are called to go on strike at the same time, in support of maintaining students and staff th right to protest without fear of violence. Certain campuses may be called to go out on strike by the UAW 4811 Executive Board at certain times". UAW 4811 represents about 48,000 academic workers
From the UAW 4811 website,
When faced with protests over the situation in Gaza on UC campuses across the state, UC has responded by taking unlawful actions that cut to the heart of academic workers' collective bargaining relationship and rights as employees. From the hours of unchecked violence at UCLA, to the continued use of riot police at campuses like UCLA, UCSD, and UC Irvine, UC has continuously violated workers' rights to free expression in our workplace despite UC policy that should have protected us. UAW 4811 academic workers have filed multiple unfair labor practice charges (ULPs) calling out UC's unlawful conduct under HEERA.
"UC can resolve their unfair labor practices at any time – beginning by granting amnesty to our colleagues facing criminal or disciplinary proceedings for engaging in protest," said Jaime, a UCLA doctoral student in English, in the release. "Instead, UC has continued to break the law, and has issued interim suspensions to members of our union wrongfully arrested last week at UC Irvine."
Pro-Palestine protesters additionally set up a new encampment at UCLA on Thursday morning, with UAW members picketing in support outside of it.
On May 3, UAW 4811 filed an unfair labor practice violation against the UC, alleging that the university's choice to allow law enforcement to use force against members of the union during the UCLA encampment sweep violated its responsibility as an employer.
According to the press release, the Public Employment Relations Board asked for the UC and UAW 4811 to sit down and work through the union's unfair labor practice charges against the UC. According to the UAW 4811 website, the UC could resolve its unfair labor practices by granting amnesty for union members arrested in peaceful pro-Palestine protests and making policy changes that counteract the University's "crackdown on political speech on campus."
Alexandra Crosnoe, Daily Bruin
UCLA and UC Davis will be the first campuses called on to strike if the unfair conditions are not addressed and changed by the UC system.
