Our two UC-wide Academic Student Employee and Graduate Student Researcher unions have ratified their contracts. Although the 40-day strike achieved some significant, even ground-breaking results, other critical provisions were abandoned (see details at https://www.fairucnow.org/ta-summary/). All existing provisions, however, will be up for renegotiation in only 2½ years when the current contract ends.
The conflict over these provisions resulted in a vastly differential vote across the 10 UC campuses, with UCSB, UCSC, and UCM voting heavily against ratification (details here). Many UCSB ASEs are disappointed by the outcome of the ratification vote. A particularly problematic provision is higher TA salary scales at UCB, UCLA, and UCSF. Any messages to graduate students should be tempered by the knowledge that many will remain under-compensated, rent-burdened, and otherwise disadvantaged. They plan to continue the struggle.
However, the strike is now over, and those who honored the picket line in solidarity with our acaemic student workers can resume their usual activities. As far as we know, the contract settlement did not contain a return-to-work agreement about making up struck work, especially grading. Our campus administrators must make provisions for paying for that work. The UCSB Faculty Association urges our administration to do so immediately so affected faculty can move forward.
Meanwhile, we want to offer you some guidance about what to do at this point. If you do not have TAs but have been withholding your grades, you should upload them. It is more difficult for those of you who have TAs who struck and have stacks of ungraded work. ASE contracts ended on December 14th, so these workers are not expected to complete work that was struck during the Fall quarter. Faculty also have no obligation to do struck work. The burden of a solution is on the administration.
We thank you for your solidarity in support of our academic student workers. We will hold another faculty town hall meeting at noon, Wednesday, January 18, 2023, to discuss the urgent issues of impacts on graduate admissions, systemwide campus equity, and unfunded mandates, that the strike’s resolution brought to the fore.
Peace and Solidarity,
The UCSB Faculty Association