Not a single Santa Cruz Metro bus crossed the invisible picket line set in place between the hours of 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the intersection of Bay and High street. 

Though UC Santa Cruz’s campus was quiet, the main entrance was not. As some strikers picketed, others hit snare drums, hummed on kazoos and chanted through crackling megaphones.

By 7 a.m. on Wednesday, over 100 people gathered in the grassy area, eating breakfast and chatting under eight pop-up tents as the bus drivers dropped off students at the base of campus. This was all in support of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3299 and University Professional and Technical Employees – Communications Workers of America (UPTE-CWA) Local 9119 whose Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strikes began on Feb. 26.

ULP charges, filed by agencies or unions, argue that employers violated laws established by the California Public Employment Relations Board. This is AFSCME 3299’s second ULP Strike since the school year began and UPTE’s first. 

AFSCME 3299 filed their ULP on Feb. 10 which states that “multiple changes and threats, including threats of arrest” were made by the UC Regents in “an effort to enforce illegal access policies and restrict employee rights.”

Picketers throughout the day walking the Bay Drive and High Street intersection crosswalks. Photo 2 by Reggie Sasaki. Photos 1, 3, & 4 by Kyle James Allemand.

“The UC breaks the law again and increases our health insurance, co-payments go up, medication [prices] go up. We don’t have enough money to provide [for] our families,” said Janet Mucino, an executive board member for Santa Cruz’s chapter of ASFCME 3299 and a senior custodian at UCSC in an interview with City on a Hill Press. “A lot of my coworkers commute two hours a day to get here, work two jobs seven days a week, and just recently my rent increased, but my pay here hasn’t. It’s affecting me and my personal life a lot, so it’s time for a change.” 

Thousands of workers have come together across the UC system to strike and advocate for the unions. AFSCME 3299 is striking from Feb. 26 to Feb. 27, while UPTE is on strike from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28.

UPTE-CWA Unit Representative Amelia Cutten (left) and AFSCME 3299 executive board member Janet Mucino (right) speaking to a crowd gathered at the base of campus. Photo by Reggie Sasaki.

UPTE-CWA filed their ULP on Jan. 10, stating the “UC’s speech rules are unreasonable and violate HEERA.” The Higher Education Employment Relations Act (HEERA) is a California law that regulates relations between California public universities and their employees.

“We’re out here today because the UC has not been bargaining in good faith. We’re on an unfair labor practice strike because they haven’t given up relevant data that we needed about vacancies and positions and we’re really out here to demand that UC come back to the table and bargain in good faith so we can resolve our contract and we can get back to work,” said Amelia Cutten, Unit Representative for UPTE-CWA and a behavior health counselor at the Student Health Center.

To rally student support for the strike, multiple student groups organized and announced a march from the Quarry Plaza to the base of campus. At 10 a.m., four hours after the strike began, students and community members trickled into the Quarry Plaza in preparation to join AFSCME and UPTE at the picket line. 

Students from Quarry Plaza down Village Road, towards the Great Meadow Bike Path. Photo 1 by Reggie Sasaki. Photos 2 & 3 by Kyle James Allemand.

The crowd of about 50 people began marching at 10:30 a.m., hiking through the woods adjacent to the main road, taking the path through The Village and walking on the bike paths. As they marched onto Coolidge Drive, cars greeted their arrival, honking their horns in solidarity.

“I think it’s very powerful. It’s very beautiful to see how much we all support each other [despite] our differences,” said Julissa Jimenez, a marcher. “We’re all here together and we’re all standing united and we’re not gonna back down. The support is amazing to see, it really produces hope for the working class and our workers.”

[Photo 1] Striking workers from the picket line handing bottles of water to the student marchers as they arrived at the base of campus. [Photo 2] Members of UCSC’s Revolutionary Student Organization place a banner that reads “WORKERS AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE OF THE WORLD UNITE!” over the UC Santa Cruz sign at the base of campus. Photo 1 by Reggie Sasaki. Photo 2 by Kyle James Allemand.

Following the arrival of the marchers at noon, the number of people at the base of campus swelled to around 250. Student organizations set up tables and prepared for the next event, where Mariachi Eterno would perform in front of the crowd. Following the performance, speakers from UPTE, AFSCME and Third World and Native American Student Press Collective rallied the crowd. The crowd dispersed half an hour later, continuing to strike until 4 p.m. 

Performers from Mariachi Eterno playing music for a gathered crowd. Photo by Reggie Sasaki.

With both strikes spanning multiple days, both AFSCME and UPTE hope the UC will listen and meet their demands. However, they are prepared to persevere if they do not. 

“We’re committed to being out here until [the demands] are resolved, so ultimately, we’re trying to get back to the table to bargain in good faith with UC,” Cutten said. “If that doesn’t happen right away, we’re ready and organized to be able to strike for as long as we need to and continue to do that as long as needed.”