Dear Grads,
As we roll into the new year, we wanted to share a form where graduate students fighting for a COLA can express their commitment and solidarity to other workers and students on campus struggling against the same exploitative boss – the UC. It is almost certain that AFSCME (custodial, dining, groundskeeping) workers and AFT workers (lecturers) will be out of contract this quarter. AFSCME workers have been out of a contract for over two years, and haven’t seen a wage increase in over three. Lecturers have some of the lowest wages of instructors, and face an increasingly uncertain future on our campus.
On Monday, UCSC’s K7 unit (skilled workers) began picketing on campus under a banner stating “workers and students united.” We expect further acts of unrest throughout the university. We would like to see graduate students express the same spirit of solidarity towards workers that we have asked of undergraduate students in our fight for a COLA.
You can find the poll here. We encourage all graduate students to complete the poll, answer yes, and express your willingness to fight for justice beyond our own paycheck!
Solidarity forever,
