The UC Faculty Association is pleased to convey the good news from UC AFT that the unfair practices strike is off. We have witnessed the power of solidarity for a just cause. Grow our power. Join the faculty association, your voice in such matters that complements the Senate and can go in directions that the Senate can not, such as lobbying.
After two marathon days of negotiations with UC management, your UC-AFT table team is very happy to announce we have reached a Tentative Agreement on a new contract — the strongest in UC-AFT history and, we believe, among the best in the nation for contingent faculty. Our Agreement includes major victories in job security, workload, and compensation. We’re extraordinarily proud of this accomplishment.
Most urgently, as part of this agreement we have reached an acceptable resolution to the two Unfair Labor Practice charges that prompted our strike authorization. UC management has bargained in good faith, and as a result the UC-AFT Executive Board has canceled the strike previously called for Nov. 17 and 18. This means that we will NOT be on strike today.
Highlights of the tentative agreement include:
- Groundbreaking job security protections that create opportunities for professional advancement for lecturers at every stage of their careers.
- We achieved our goals of greater consistency, transparency, and enforceability of workload issues.
- We raised the salary floor and won improved compensation for all lecturers, as well as annual cost-of-living adjustments for each year of the contract:
- All lecturers will now be eligible for 4 weeks of fully paid leave to bond with a new child or care for ailing family members.
We would not have won this tremendous victory without you. Thousands of you have written letters to administrators; joined our open bargaining sessions on Zoom; submitted public comments to the UC Regents; tweeted at President Drake; and joined car caravans, virtual rallies, and in-person actions before the pandemic began. We are so grateful to have you on #TeamUCAFT.
While we won’t be walking the picket line tomorrow, we invite you to join us for victory celebrations at noon at the locations previously designated for rallies. Come celebrate your solidarity, if your schedule allows. And you can post this image on social media to celebrate!
In solidarity,
#TeamUCAFT