For the past 10 days, the picket line on the base of campus featured rousing speeches, bumping DJ sets, and chants calling for action from the UC system. After entering its second week, the United Auto Workers (UAW) 4811 strike is far from losing steam. 

UC Santa Cruz was the first campus of the union to strike on May 20. On May 23, UAW 4811 called on UC Los Angeles (UCLA) and UC Davis (UCD) to “stand up” and join the strike. The next Tuesday, May 28, union employees walked off the job to join their respective pickets. 

“UC is out of excuses. It is time to remedy their serious unfair labor practices, starting by withdrawing charges against our colleagues facing criminal or disciplinary proceedings for engaging in peaceful protest,” wrote Maya Gosztyla, financial secretary for UAW 4811, in a union newsletter.

Injunction Denied, Strike Goes On

On May 24, the university filed a request to the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) for a court injunction that would’ve stopped UAW 4811’s strike, citing “irreparable harm”  from the union. The PERB denied the injunction, and said that the UC complaint did not meet the legal standard for intervention.

PERB, however, did issue a complaint with the union for not giving advance notice of work stoppage and failing to meet with the UC to negotiate before striking. 

Rebecca Gross, UAW 4811’s unit chair for UCSC, commented on PERB’s recent actions towards the UC and the union. 

“This happens all the time between an employer and the union, and the UC has acted in bad faith and illegally, which is why we filed ULP [Unfair Labor Practice]s against them,”Gross said. “So, this just seems like the latest action they’ve taken to allege that this strike is illegal. We’ll be out here for the foreseeable future until the UC resolves these ULPs or until June 30, whichever comes first.”

PERB ordered mediation between UAW and the UC, which began Friday May 24. Gross said that UAW 4811 members at UCSC were not yet involved in those negotiations as of May 28, but that more information on the mediation is soon to come.

At the Picket

UAW 4811 has garnered support from various organizations at the picket line, such as the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). On May 22, dozens of members of AFSCME 3299 — the UC’s largest employee union representing over 30,000 service workers, patient care technical workers, skilled craft workers, and more — joined the UAW picket line for the day, standing in solidarity with strikers. 

At the picket line, UAW 4811 has hosted events to boost morale and garner support. Little Giant Collective, a printmaking shop in downtown Santa Cruz, ran a screen printing event on the base of campus May 24 in support of the strike. They provided blank totes and white t-shirts where demonstrators could screenprint “UC LABOR FOR PALESTINE” on items. 

Many guests from different organizations came to the UCSC picket to give support and educate the striking workers. Representatives from International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Worker Student Solidarity Coalition (WSSC), and a faculty member who delivered a message from workers at UCLA and UCD spoke about past politically motivated strikes, such as the strikes against South African apartheid. 

Amir West, a speaker from WSSC, commented on the UAW strikes’ impact.

“If the UC regents only value money, we must weaponize our economic value to this institution,” Amir said. “The UC will not bend to good faith discussions or morality. We will bring the UC to its knees in our united struggle.”

Additional reporting by Colleen Barrett.