Tag: Strike Updates

Strike Updates Day 6

Strike Updates, Tuesday, Feb 18, 2020

For the sixth day, hundreds of graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, staff, lecturers, and others rallied at both entrances to campus. For the sixth day, all metro bus service to campus was disrupted by the picket line. In the afternoon, a huge group of STEM graduate students wearing lab coats once again marched to join the picket line, and joined strikers in peacefully shutting down the main entrance to campus, for the sixth consecutive working day. As of today, UCSC has spent approximately $1.8 million on the police presence at the picket line. By the end of this week, the figure will be approximately $2.7 million. Administration has so far offered nothing substantive–not even non-retaliation for those who they are asking to capitulate–and so tomorrow the strike continues!

In response to the cartoonish threats of administration and UCOP to fire hundreds of graduate students for participating in the strike, COLA strikes and actions are planned at every UC campus for this week. Tomorrow UCLA graduates are staging a sickout strike, and UCSB is considering going on a full strike to demand their own COLA. Meanwhile, UCSC undergraduate student government announced that they are introducing resolutions to investigate the offices of UCOP and UCSC administration, and to explore recalling EVC Kletzer for endangering students and negligence in the handling of this crisis. 

Tomorrow the UCSC faculty senate will meet to vote on two resolutions, one condemning the threats of the university to fire its graduate students and the infringement on faculty rights and academic freedom, and a second calling for higher wages and departmental autonomy in hiring and advocating for a meaningful resolution to the strike. 

To be very clear: The university’s current position is that they would rather destroy entire departments, including almost all of the social sciences and humanities at UCSC, and fire hundreds of graduate students than to have a single substantive meeting to discuss a solution to the cost of living crisis. This would willfully lead to graduate student homelessness, lack of access to medical care, and deportation for graduate students who already barely get by. That position is hopelessly reckless and must be abandoned. 
Alternatively, strikers once again invite the administration to the table to have a substantive conversation about the material conditions in which we live and to bring the strike to a peaceful end. 

Of note: More than a few strikers are ready to begin pushing for a university in which administrators are made irrelevant, and in which workers–faculty, students, and staff–govern the university collectively. One supporter asked: How much longer until we abolish the UC Regents and truly return this university to its core missions of teaching and research by placing it in the hands of its teachers, students, and scholars. 
Some of today’s action items: 

  • Join strikers on the picket line, beginning tomorrow at 7:30am. Please bring friends! You can also bring supplies: sunscreen, hand sanitizer, healthy food, and large containers of drinking water are always in demand. 
  • FACULTY: Please attend tomorrow’s faculty senate meeting and vote in favor of the resolutions condemning administration’s threats and in support of the COLA campaign. 
  • Cancel your classes and sections, and do not ask your students to cross the picket line. 
  • Lecturers should consider holding their classes at the picket. 
  • Push back the dates of large assignments, or as some instructors have done, cancel them. 
  • Write to the administration about how you feel about Lori Kletzer and Cynthia Larive threatening to fire hundreds of graduate students for demanding to be able to afford to live where they work. 
  • If you were a faculty member or student who witnessed or recorded video or photographs of police violence please write a description of what you saw and send footage to: mas1218@gmail.com. 
  • Share media coverage of the strike. 

As always, thank you so so much for your support, and extra special thanks to our undergraduates and to the faculty who have been coming out to support strikers–we are so grateful. See you tomorrow!

Strike Updates Day 4

From Joe Klein
February 13, 2020

Dear Colleagues, 

I wanted to write again with some updates from today’s strike. 
Hundreds of graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, staff, lecturers, and others rallied for a fourth day at both entrances to campus. Energy was incredibly high all morning, and for the fourth consecutive day, metro bus service to campus was disrupted due to the picket. Faculty again marched to join the picket in support of the strike and against Chancellor Cynthia Larive and EVC Lori Kletzer’s use of police force against undergraduates, graduates, and supporters. 

Around 2:30 pm, a huge group of STEM graduate students wearing their lab coats marched down to the base of campus to join the main picket. In a joyful show of power, the strikers then peacefully closed down the main entrance to campus and marched in a massive picket line around the intersection of Bay and High, led by STEM graduate students, effectively closing down the intersection. The main entrance to campus remained closed for the rest of the day. Strikers continued to picket, hold teach-ins and workshops, dance, and organize. 

As of today, UCSC has spent approximately $1.2 million on the police presence at the picket line. Meanwhile, all of the students who were arrested yesterday are facing 14 day suspensions and being blocked from returning to campus, even if they pay rent to live there. 

In a direct rebuke to administrations claims of undergraduates being harmed by the strike, today UCSC’s undergraduate student government unanimously voted to support the strike for a COLA for all graduate students. The exact phrase used by an undergraduate student government representative in today’s general assembly was that “Lori Kletzer is a lying snake.” Undergraduates will be convening their own general assembly tomorrow at 12pm at the Quarry Amphitheater to continue to organize. 

Indeed, there is a significant amount of false information being put out by UCSC administration, including that they are unable to negotiate with our union to meet our demand; this is plainly false–such negotiations happen all the time, including to resolve the 2018 West Virginia teacher’s strike. Our statewide union is attempting to set up a meeting with UCSC administration, but as of the time of writing, administration has not responded, nor offered anything substantial, so the strike continues!

Today’s action items: 

As always, thank you so so much for your support, and extra special thanks to our undergraduates and to the faculty who came out to support strikers today–we are so grateful. 

See you tomorrow!

Strike Updates Day 3

From Joe Klein
February 12, 2020

Dear Colleagues, 

I wanted to write again with some updates from today’s strike. 

Hundreds of graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, staff, lecturers, and others rallied for a third day at both entrances to campus. Energy was incredibly high all morning, and for the third day in a row, metro bus service to campus was disrupted due to the picket. In late morning, picketers from the west entrance to campus marched down Empire Grade to the main entrance of campus, where they joined the main picket and together the strikers peacefully closed down the main entrance to campus for the third day in a row. After being joined once again by faculty marching down from the Women’s center, hundreds of strikers again took over the entire intersection of Bay and High, and held the intersection for over 4 hours, graduate and undergraduate linked arm-in-arm in the face of the police. To my knowledge, this was the most significant show of student and worker power in UCSC’s recent memory. 

For a third day, the UCSC administration’s police response has been unconscionable. At the behest of UCSC administrators, squads of police in riot gear again threatened, beat, bloodied, and arrested strikers. Police arrested 16 strikers who were sitting peacefully in circles. The full number of injured students is pending, but at least one student had her finger broken by police, another was bleeding profusely from his head after being hit by batons, and others received bruised ribs and bones. Many faculty witnessed these attacks and put themselves between the police and the strikers. Strikers refused to leave the streets until all of the arrested people were released. However one striker remains in police custody after choosing not to identify themselves; COLA organizers are working on supporting and ensuring this person’s release.

Today in a meeting with GSA representatives, EVC Lori Kletzer said that UCSC is spending $300,000 per day for these police; this amounts to a running total of $900,000 dollars for three days of police presence, and presumably $1.5 million come Friday. I wonder what else we could do with that kind of money?

An update on strike progress: Despite weeks and months of claiming tied hands, administrators continue to come to the table thanks to intense pressure from strikers. Yesterday, Santa Cruz city council unanimously voted to issue a letter of support for a COLA. And significantly, today, UCSC Director of Employment and Labor Relations Jennifer Schiffner sent a letter to our statewide union asking for a meeting this week. Remember that just a few weeks ago they claimed this was impossible; direct action does indeed get the goods. However as of yet, administration has failed to meet the demand for a COLA, so the strike continues!

Today’s action items: 

As always, thank you so so much for your support, and extra special thanks to our undergraduates and to the faculty who came out to support strikers today–we are so grateful. 

See you tomorrow!

Strike Updates Day 1

Adapted from an email by Joe Klein to Anthropology colleagues

Some news and updates from the first day of the strike:

Today, several hundred of graduate students, undergraduate students, faculty, lecturers, staff, and others rallied at both entrances to UCSC’s main campus, and joint actions were happening at 5 other UC campuses. The UCSC picket line was successful in disrupting all metro bus service to campus throughout the morning. Then, in a brilliant burst of energy, a huge group of faculty wearing regalia and carrying signs and banners marched through the street to the picket line down from the Women’s Center. This amazing burst of energy gave strikers the numbers and courage to join their faculty in the streets, and to shut down the main entrance to campus. Strikers took and held the entrance to campus, and eventually took over the entire intersection of Bay and High.

However, after most faculty had left, the response by UCSC police became aggressive and violent. Throughout the morning, there were dozens of UC police officers present at both entrances, brought in (with UCSC money) from across the Bay Area, attempting to intimidate and provoke strikers.

By the afternoon, the police had barricaded surrounding streets to prevent cars from driving near the picket. A young woman drove past the barricade to deliver water to the strikers, and upon arrival at the picket, was arrested by the approximately 30 UC police and CHP officers stationed at the base of campus. Strikers linked arms in nonviolent protest of this absurd arrest, and the police charged through the crowd in formation, batons out. Several UCSC students were beaten with batons; at least one student ended up at the Health Center after being hit on the head. In their words, “after getting beaten by three officers I went to the health center and I have a concussion and strained neck/back/shoulder.”

After this incident, police retreated and students continued to hold the intersection, initiating meetings, rallies, and dancing. We ended the day at about 5pm with a big general assembly.

So far there is only silence from the administration. So tomorrow the strike continues!

Some ideas of things to do:

  • Come to the picket line in the morning, with as many friends and colleagues as possible, as early as you can. It begins at 7:30. In particular, visible faculty presence seems to deter police aggression.
  • Write our administration and tell them how you feel about students being beaten by bussed-in police.
  • Cancel your classes and sections due to the ongoing strike if you feel able.
  • Inform your undergraduate students that attendance to class is flexible due to the strike.
  • For faculty, change your email signatures to indicate that you teach and advise severely rent burdened students.

Thank you all for your support, and special thanks to our faculty who showed up to join us on the picket today. We are so grateful! See you tomorrow!