UCLA grad workers walk out over UC handling of pro-Palestine protests (2024)

On Tuesday, hundreds of UCLA academic workers walked off the job to protest the UC system’s handling of pro-Palestine protests on multiple campuses.

Workers gathered for a noon rally at Bruin Walk before marching to Royce Quad to establish a picket line on the site of the former Palestine solidarity encampment.

“I’m striking in solidarity with this historic student movement protesting the genocide in Gaza,” said UCLA graduate worker Sebastian Cazares. “We’re also protesting the Gene Block administration and UCLA policies that have targeted journalists, suppressed free speech, abused students and sent weaponized state sanctioned violence on peaceful protesters.”

The striking workers are members of UAW 4811, which represents 48,000 workers at ten UC campuses and is coordinating a series of rolling walkouts across several schools. Workers at UC Santa Cruz kicked off the walkouts last week and were joined Tuesday, May 28, by their union siblings at UCLA and UC Davis. The union says workers at three more campuses could walk out by Friday.

Although the strike comes near the start of summer break, it still has the potential to be very disruptive because graduate and postdoctoral students play an essential role in finalizing student grades, teaching summer courses and conducting time-sensitive research.

“I’m here today because I can’t watch my friends and students get shot with rubber bullets and have their arms get broken by the cops on my campus and be forced to work as if it’s business as usual,” said graduate worker Noura Alaboudi at the rally, referring to the May 2 police clearing of the encampment.

“We union workers have the organized power to rewrite the narrative and shift global politics and we’re here to reaffirm our dedication and make it loud and clear: Palestinian Liberation now,” she added.

The union says that the strike is in response to “egregious unfair labor practices” committed by the UC System. The allegations include using law enforcement to “violently eject and arrest peaceful protesters” at UCLA, UC Irvine and UC San Diego; disciplining employees who participated in protests; and making changes to academic freedom and free speech rights on campuses.

The UC system, however, believes that the union’s complaints fall outside its scope as a labor union and the strike is therefore illegal.

“UAW’s strike is unlawful because the goal is to pressure the University to concede to a list of politically motivated demands closely linked to the protests occurring across California and the nation,” said the UC System in a May 1 statement. “While the University continues to support free speech, lawful protests, and its community’s right to engage in the same, UAW is a labor union and its negotiations with the University must be tied to terms and conditions of employment.”

The UC system has filed multiple unfair labor practice charges with the Public Employment Relations Board in hopes of getting an injunction to halt the walkouts.

“We have maintained from the beginning that UAW’s actions violate our mutually agreed contracts,” said Missy Matella, associate vice president for systemwide labor relations. “We are eager to see a quick and just resolution to this matter so that our students, faculty and staff can end this academic quarter without further disrupting their education and progress towards degree completion.”

So far the university’s effort has been unsuccessful. Last Thursday, PERB rejected the UC system’s demand to immediately stop the strike. The board is still considering the UC system’s unfair labor practice charges, but a ruling is not expected for at least three weeks.

Graduate worker Desmond Fonseca dismissed the UC system’s appeal to PERB as “a ridiculous attempt at union busting.”

“They’re afraid of workers taking united mass action to protest their illegal activities,” he said. “It is very clear to us, to our workers, I think it’s clear to the university as well, that they know that they violated our contract and they violated our rights to free speech.”

Over 200 protesters were arrested at UCLA on May 2 when police forcibly cleared the Palestine Solidarity encampment, including many members of UAW 4811.

“We see this as a fundamental violation of our rights as workers to practice free speech to peacefully demonstrate,” said Fonseca.

Less than 48 hours before the encampment was cleared, protesters were attacked by a pro-Israel mob with bear mace, pepper spray and wooden planks — an incident which resulted in more than 25 protesters being sent to the emergency room, according to medics at the encampment.

Approximately a third of faculty members at UCLA have signed a letter vowing they will not perform any labor, such as grading student assignments, to replace the striking workers. Among them is political science professor Michael Chwe, who spoke at Tuesday’s rally.

The letter signed by more than 900 faculty members also calls for Chancellor Block’s resignation and for full amnesty to be granted to all students, faculty and staff who participated in the encampment.

“We will do everything we can to support the UAW 4811 strike,” Chwe said. “We stand with our students as you lead us into the future.”