Dear comrades,
Haven’t been paid yet? Wondering where your COLA is? This email includes information about changes in payroll and avenues for support and collective action.
Pay is scheduled for tomorrow, January 2nd. The January 2nd pay date coincides with the rollout of UCPath, a new payroll system which has led to significant problems at other campuses (click here for more information). Delayed and improper pay amounts UCLA, UC Riverside, UC Merced, and UC Santa Barbara in October of 2018 and January of 2019 left many graduate students without income for weeks. This past fall, 300 graduate students at UC Davis received delayed pay due to the rollout of UCPath on their campus and they held a walkout in protest. Click here and here to read more.
If you haven’t been paid yet, it could be for several reasons, including the January 2nd pay date and potential delays due to the implementation of UCPath. In addition, if you don’t have direct deposit set up, your check may not arrive on the second but will be mailed to the address you have on file. Finally, there are several routine pay changes that come into effect with the new calendar year which could affect your pay amount: click here for more information.
If you are not paid the full amount you are owed by the end of the day on January 2nd, we recommend you request a same-day paycheck from UCPath. They announced this measure during a presentation to graduate students at the December 3rd Graduate Student Association meeting. Paycheck questions can be directed to payhelp@ucsc.edu or (831) 459-2488.
As we’ve stated previously in the Strike FAQs (click here to read them), the UC can withhold pay for labor stoppages. However, the UC is legally required to pay us for labor we have completed, so this reduction should be at the level of minutes as long as you have done everything except submit your grades. Withholding pay for labor we have completed is a violation of our contract. The UC’s obligation to pay us for completed labor still holds, even under these wildcat strike conditions. We recommend that all TAs create a spreadsheet of hours worked towards the total 220 hours for which we are paid and prepare to produce a document signed by the instructor of record that indicates that you have already done all or close to all of the 220 hours.
If you have still not been paid by the end of the day on January 2nd and if UCPath is not cutting you a same-day paycheck, we can address delayed or docked pay by filing grievances through our union. In March of 2019, our union won additional compensation for more than 700 graduate student workers who suffered from delayed pay due to UCPath. Click here to read more. We will be vigilant about potential missed pay, and if this happens, we will fight and win against the UC again. If your pay has been delayed due to the rollout of UCPath or if you think your pay has been docked due to strike activities, please contact payusmoreucsc@gmail.com . (Not gsainfo@ucsc.edu)
If all this makes you frustrated, you’re not alone. Graduate students on our campus have been struggling to live in this town for far too long. A COLA cannot wait, and we will not wait. Our strike is ongoing and gaining power all the time. We’re gearing up to keep fighting this quarter.
We will have a General Assembly for all graduate students on Thursday, January 9 to discuss the state of our strike and next steps. Time and location to follow soon.
In advance of the General Assembly, all graduate students are invited to come to the first GSA/UAW Monthly Membership Meeting meeting of the quarter on Tuesday, January 7, 5-8PM, at the GSC Fireside lounge, where we can begin debriefing, planning, and discussing our options.
Want to get involved right away? Graduate student organizers across our campus are working to win a COLA through a number of committees. Click here to see the list and to join one!
In solidarity and struggle,
Jane Komori
Graduate Student Association Co-Secretary