The UC COLA Issue
Today we need to talk about the graduate students who are fighting for a cost of living adjustment (COLA) across the University of California (UC) system. This battle began at the UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) campus last quarter when teaching assistants (TA) were denied a COLA that would allow them to actually live near the campus where they work and conduct research and they responded by initiating a wildcat strike. A wildcat strike is one that is not backed by the union, and UCSC responded by saying that they will only negotiate with the union so the striking students will be ignored.
It is important here to note that according to the most recent union negotiations from 2018 included a no-strike clause, which is why the union cannot support the current strike.
This strike began with the withholding of grades (with the permission of the undergrad students whose grades were withheld) and has escalated to a complete halt to the work of TAs with undergrads and faculty showing their support for the cause. UCSC administration responded by issuing threats, beginning the process of firing the graduate students taking part in the strike, and filing an unfair-labor-practice charge against UAW 2865 (the union that represents the students) for failing to stop the strike. In retaliation, an unfair-labor-practice charge was file against the UC system by UAW 2865 for failing to meet the basic cost of living for their student workers in Santa Cruz.
Since the TAs at UCSC were fired and their statuses as graduate students came into question, their cause has been taken up by their peers across the UC system who have been organizing demonstrations of their own at each campus. As the cause picks up steam, undergraduate students and faculty are showing their solidarity with the plight of the grad students, and there are whispers of demonstrations evolving into full-on wildcat strikes across the UC system until the administration satisfactorily addresses COLA.
Personally, I stand in solidarity with the graduate students because they are a grossly undervalued asset at any college or university not just within the UC system. They perform research, make lesson plans, grade papers, hold office hours, and answer endless questions from the undergraduate students they are in charge of all while working on their own graduate projects. It is not unreasonable for them to request a wage that would allow them to live in the area where they work, and the detail that TAs have their tuition paid for by participating in the program is not relevant to this specific conversation. The core of the issue is that TAs, specifically at UCSC, are not getting paid enough to live where they work and the work they are doing that keeps the university running is being undervalued by the UC system.
Today, March 5th, there are UC wide rallies being held to show support for the UCSC graduate students and their COLA struggle. I am standing in solidarity by choosing not to participate in class today and instead attempt to help spread the word about this issue. Unfortunately, I live nearly an hour from campus and live on a college student’s budget so I will be virtually attending the rally instead of physically.
For more information check out the articles and twitter page I have linked below, and please take the time to fully assess the situation before jumping to rash conclusions.
References:
https://dailybruin.com/2020/03/04/op-ed-graduate-students-are-seeking-cola-uc-has-yet-to-budge/
https://www.edhat.com/news/santa-cruz-students-fired-as-ucsb-continues-to-strike
