UAW 2865

After months of bargaining, the United Auto Workers, or UAW, union that represents postdoctoral scholars, academic researchers, academic student employees and graduate student researchers has had enough. At 8 a.m. this morning, 48,000 academic workers across the UC system have gone on strike. As of press time, there is no end in sight.

Four bargaining units of UAW, which represents nearly 50,000 student academic workers and researchers across the UC, voted to strike Wednesday evening with 98% in favor to strike.

UC Berkeley academic workers and researchers could be seen tabling throughout campus Wednesday with signs asking union members to participate in the ongoing UAW strike vote. 

Berkeley, a city that is no stranger to community organizing, is home to a diverse array of unions representing everyone from tenants and student researchers to campus librarians and lecturers.

About 200 UC Berkeley academic workers rallied Feb. 17 to demand that the university address the housing crisis faced by thousands of its workers.

The ASUC Senate passed a resolution against caste-based discrimination and heard updates from officials at their regular meeting Wednesday. 

Student demand for EECS and CS courses is increasing, leading some TAs to advocate for increased departmental funding and decreased student enrollment.  

The Berkeley Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA, General Assembly passed two votes Monday regarding a potential wildcat strike in support of a COLA for all UC graduate students.

United Auto Workers, or UAW, Local 2865 — the union that represents UC graduate student instructors, teaching assistants, readers and tutors — filed unfair labor practice charges against the UC system Feb. 27 and March 2, after weeks of system-wide protests in support of a cost of living adjustment.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., introduced the Respect Graduate Student Workers Act to the Senate on Jan. 22, which would protect graduate student workers’ right to unionize.