SAGE sets walkout date
Walkout committee steps up endeavors to meet with Chancellor
Young
By Betty Song
After several attempts to meet with Chancellor Charles Young
failed to elicit a response from Young himself, the student
association of graduate employees (SAGE) is stepping-up its efforts
for negotiations and preparations for a two-day strike.
The strike is set for April 25 and 26, Tuesday and Wednesday of
the fourth week of classes, according to walkout committee
members.
The nine-member group was formed during the general membership
meeting last quarter when union members authorized the group to
call a strike if continued efforts to negotiate with the chancellor
failed.
These dates were chosen to follow the graduate employee union’s
general membership meeting on April 19 when members will be updated
on the walkout committee’s efforts thus far, said Darlene
Rodrigues, a walkout committee member.
But before calling the walkout, the committee is required by the
union to gather1,000 signatures from members who promise to
participate in the walkout. The union now has over 500 signatures,
according to estimates from the SAGE office.
In addition to a petition drive this week to garner more
signatures, walkout committee members are continuing efforts to
meet with the chancellor through letters.
The committee decided at Monday’s meeting to draft an open
letter to Young in light of two past letters that have elicited a
response from the graduate division rather than from the chancellor
himself. This third letter will inform the UCLA community of the
committee’s efforts and place public pressure on Young to respond,
said walkout committee member Mark Quigley.
"We expect to get a response from the rest of the graduate
students and the public toward (the chancellor) saying ‘What’s
going on here, why aren’t you meeting with the walkout committee?’"
said Quigley, who wrote the letter.
"That will trigger a response from Young to meet with us, which
is quite likely (because) it’s getting really close to (the
walkout)," he added.
In addition, walkout committee members will pay daily visits to
the chancellor’s office this week in order to set-up an appointment
in person.
"We’re going to keep trying as part of our good faith efforts,"
Rodrigues said. "We want to avert a walkout, but he needs to meet
with us."
The last two letters requesting a meeting with Young were sent
during dead week and finals week of last quarter. Both were
answered by the associate dean of the graduate division, Kathleen
Komar. Komar’s responses reiterated Young’s position that he was
following a system-wide policy in not recognizing SAGE.
But union members argued that the chancellor is not bound by
such policy.
"If he can buck the system-wide policy on affirmative action, he
can do the same on the union issue," Rodrigues said referring to
Young’s strong statement last month in support of the university’s
affirmative action program.
Both Young and Komar could not be reached for comment.