'Opposition to Repression of Anti-War Protests'... Graduate Student Union Strike at California State University

Strike from the 20th to the 30th of next month
Academic disruptions unavoidable
School requests labor authorities to order strike suspension

Graduate students at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz) have declared a strike in protest against the school's response to pro-Palestinian anti-war demonstrations.

On the 17th (local time), the UC Santa Cruz labor union announced that they would begin striking on the 20th, according to the New York Times (NYT). The UC Santa Cruz union has about 2,000 members, mostly consisting of lecturers, teaching assistants, and researchers.

A man is holding an anti-war protest at the University of California, Los Angeles campus. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Rafael Jaime, chair of UAW 4811, stated, "Academic workers are striking in response to the school's suppression of freedom of expression and the fundamental right to protest on campus," adding, "The school has committed multiple unfair labor practices against unionized workers." UAW 4811 is the parent union representing labor unions from 10 campuses under the University of California system, including the UC Santa Cruz labor union. The union claims that the school suppressed pro-Palestinian statements on campus and tolerated attacks by counter-protesters targeting pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Rafael Jaime said, "The strike proposal was overwhelmingly approved in a vote on the 15th," and announced that the strike could last until as late as the 30th of next month. As the strike extends beyond the semester's end on the 13th of next month, disruptions to academic operations are expected, and the possibility of a chain strike at other University of California campuses cannot be ruled out.

In response, a spokesperson for the University of California president said, "(This protest) could set a dangerous precedent by including non-labor issues in labor negotiations."

The school also filed a complaint with labor authorities accusing the union of unfair labor practices and requested an order to halt the strike, the NYT reported.

Currently, many universities across the United States are experiencing conflicts between school administrations trying to prevent anti-war protests and students. At some universities, votes of no confidence against presidents are underway. At Columbia University in New York, considered a hotspot for pro-Palestinian anti-war demonstrations, a recent vote among faculty in the humanities department passed a no-confidence motion against President Nemath Minosh Shafik with 65% in favor. The opposition vote was 29%, and abstentions were 6%.