UC - AFT NEWS

• UC-AFT Officer Candidate statements
• UCB Extension English Language Program to close
• Lecturers Bargaining archives
• UC Administrators' Compensation Packages
• Spring, 2004 UC-AFT Perspective (1 MB pdf)
• Roddy and Klar meet with Dynes

UC Berkeley
Michelle Squitieri writes: At Berkeley, the Labor Coalition conducted modest informational pickets and handed out flyers at all the main gates for one hour each early Monday and Tuesday mornings. The beautiful signs, designed by our artistically talented labor librarian, and the flyers publicized the strikes on the other campuses and the upcoming teach-in and rally on the Berkeley campus. The teach-in Monday turned into a multi-union meeting outdoors. We held a noisy, energetic rally at Sproul at noon on Tuesday, and marched to California Hall. Assemblywoman Dion Aroner was one of the speakers.

UC Davis
Kevin Roddy writes: By both the Administration's and the Union's count, over three hundred employes from CUE, UC-AFT were out on picket lines at all ten entrances to the UC Davis campus, halting construction at some sites and slowing it at others over October 14th and 15th. The strikers were joined by over fifty representatives from UPTE, and by several dozen members of the UAW graduate students' union AGSE. Undergraduate students were on the line as well. It is estimated that over the two days more than a hundred classes were cancelled, some thirty-five in the English Department alone.

At noon, Tuesday, a march was held to the administration building, Mrak Hall, which was surrounded entirely by a crowd of extremely vocal protesters. At one point, they entered the building, made a lot more noise, and then dispersed peaceably, back to their picket lines.
UC Irvine

Andrew Tonkovich writes: The two-day walkout at UC Irvine began with Lecturers and TA supporters greeting press and the campus community at 5:30 a.m. at entrances, loading depots and street corners. Supporters, including members of UPTE and CUE, joined us on a picket line both days from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Lots of signs, very loud. A woman named "Thunder" (say not more) led the group with chants, no doubt heard in the adjacent Administration building. Highlights of the pickets included participation by at least one department chair and many Academic Senate faculty and a giant post card signing in support of strikers.
On Tuesday about 400 gathered for a rally and teach-in at noon featuring radical social historian Mike Davis, Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, and the famous Freeway Flyer--a part-time academic dressed like a very busy bird--and others.

I estimate that about 400 people actually struck, tho anecdotal evidence (the only kind really) suggests that it was perhaps more, as the Poly Sci department unilaterally cancelled officially all classes taught by Lecturers both days. Art classes were similarly cancelled by fiat. An obnoxious and wrong-headed editorial by the predictably dismal school paper editorial staff got the crowd worked up and has led to great letters and pro-Lecturer editorials in subsequent weeks. Membership has increased dramatically, with upwards of 60 new members in two weeks.

UC Santa Barbara
Nick Tingle writes: Lecturers at UCSB combined their forces with CUE. I got up at six, went to campus at seven, put up my banner in front of our adminstration building and walked the picket line till 5:30 the first day, and 5:00 the second. Right now my feet ache, my lower back is sore and my legs are in knots. But it was worth it. It is hard to guess numbers, but all three gates to the campus were "personed." I was there when a truck pulled up, saw the line and reversed its course. This morning a member of the Teamsters came out and started turning trucks away. UPS did not cross the line. So there is something to "solidarity." This could be found in odd places. The campus police for example were with us. They were polite, courteous, and even helpful. After all, they are union too, and their negotiations with the University very much parallel those of the AFT.

The senate faculty too supported us. Before the strike a petition was written by senate faculty, signed by at least 15 department chairs, and passed to the Chancellor in support of Lecturers. One SF membered has vowed to seek a resolution from our Academic Senate in support of lecturers. Students turned out, not in droves--this is UCSB--but in decent numbers. The history department (other departments too: Chicano Studies, Black Studies and a few others too) closed down completely and sent students out to interview lecturers and CUE members. The office of Associated Students shut down, though they kept their radio station going and kept up regular "feeds" from the picket lines. We got decent local press coverage. Sadly, our student paper was the worst. But media people were out from the three local networks the first day of the strike. Mostly bits with people marching and talking head shots....but overall I think more of the public knows what a lecturer is than they did two days ago. And that alone makes the job action a success....

UC Santa Cruz
Fred Glass writes: The two entrances to the campus had big, solid picket lines from before sunrise to after sunset each day. No campus construction took place on Monday, and all deliveries ceased as well. On Tuesday I went with Susan Martinez, a CUE picket captain, onto campus, and we spied a tiny handful of supervisors and subcontracted workers on just a couple of the many campus construction sites. She told me that normally there are well over a hundred construction workers. At the main entrance at Bay Street noon rallies were held each day, with the Mayor of Santa Cruz and city council members expressing their solidarity along with senate faculty, students, and union leaders. Great music from student and local bands powered the spirited picket lines. There was almost a carnival accent to the serious purpose, that sense of a spontaneous people's festival that can accompany strikes.

Also, Mike Rotkin sent along this communication from Elizabeth Abrams, Lecturer SOE in the Writing Program:

Perhaps you've already heard by now--at today's UCSC Academic Senate meeting, an emeritus faculty member (Joe Bunnett) proposed, in the wake of the recent strike, a special Senate committee to investigate the concerns and conditions of UC lecturers, and proposed that 3 of its 7 members also be members of Committee on Academic Personnel, Committee on Educational Policy, and Committee on Privilege and Tenure. The proposal met with unanimous approval and some wonderful, supportive remarks from Senate members such as Bob Meister, Helene Moglen, and Carol Freeman. These included the suggestion that lecturers should be represented on Senate committees, even if only as non-voting members. At the dinner afterward, our chancellor told me she supported such a committee, too, and has long felt there should be one. (Interesting.)

UC San Diego
Kate Hare writes: We had an informational picket on Tuesday morning. The other unions were involved and we were in a great location. We backed traffic up on to the freeway! Lots of people wanted information. We also had two tables set up on campus during the day. Tons of students were interested and we have a long list of names/emails of people who support lecturers. Some lecturers also stopped by. I think it was successful. People received information about what is going on and seem to at least now realize that there is a difference between TAs and lecturers and lecturers and senate faculty.