University of California unionized workers authorize leadership to call for a strike over protests

Unionized graduate students who work at University of California campuses and graduate student workers at the University of Southern California are threatening Thursday to walk off their jobs in response to escalating tensions surrounding pro-Palestinian protests at schools.

The unionized members who work at UC campuses, including UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC San Diego, voted to authorize leadership to call a strike on Wednesday. Teaching and research assistants who are also graduate students at the universities are members of the union.

Graduate students who work in similar capacities at USC filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees labor matters involving private-sector employers in response to treatment of protesters on campus.

United Auto Workers Local 4811 represents thousands of UC graduate student workers and reported that 79% of the union members approved the strike authorization.

UAW Local 4811 is asking the UC schools to give amnesty to all academic employees and students who face arrest or disciplinary actions for protesting. The union wants the students to have guarantees of freedom of speech and political expression on campus and is asking for researchers to be able to opt out of funding sources tied to the Israeli Defense Force.

[KaiCo-oifh]

Yeah set a dangerous precedent, for them!

[AgathaWhispers]

So your tax dollars are directly funding political advocacy. Not all union members agree with the point of view that they are being forced to fund. What if you are Jewish and in this union. Something is going to give.

[STUDENTPROTESTNEWSMARVELNEWSWO]

300 SPARTANS STAND FIRM AGAINST THE ARMY OF PROPAGANDA

[ScottCanes]

As Trump would say "you're fired".
Get outta here...

[robertdetrano]

I am a retired UCI medical school professor. I visited the protest encampment site a week ago. It was completely peaceful and respectful. Shame on UCI administration for stifling the speech of their students.

[JasonECampfieldSr]

At least we get to know who all of them are that are pro Hamas! looks like there's going to a whole bunch of new jobs in the educational system is about to open up good

[jon]

It's unprecedented that you have police, carrying hand me down military weapons, acting on behalf of a extremist FOREIGN goverment on a campus to break up a protest of US Citizens who are asking to divest from a Apartheid state and stopping war crimes that are paid for with with US taxpayer dollars .A completely reasonable request.... It's uncharted waters, and should be extremely disturbing for any american, no matter what side of the political spectrum you fall, that another country has this level of influence over the U.S.

[ruthgoldbergives]

As if we don't have enough problems 😮
This is the sequel to the Whitehouse take over on January 6th on Capitol Hill. That episode opened the door 🚪 to this further collapse of the foundations that upheld the United States.

[NLS]

the right to not being beaten up by the police called by your employer for expressing your opinion should not be called outside of an employee's labor contract

[ricklefty]

My son is at UCLA. He’s sick of this crap and all the non-students on campus. We are paying a ton of money for his education. And we can care less about the concerns of professors over something that is happening thousands of miles away. Thank God they cleared from campus all the idiots on both sides of this debate.

They should fire any faculty member that further disrupts the school year due to politics. That’s BS. They can go protest downtown all they want.