Monday, December 7, 1998
TAs end strike, will resume work today
SAGE: Talks with UC President to begin within ten days
By Michael Weiner
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Teaching assistants, readers and tutors throughout the UC system
returned to work today after administrators agreed to discuss their
demands for union recognition.
UC officials and union organizers agreed Sunday night on a
45-day "cooling-off period" proposed by state assembly speaker
Antonio Villaraigosa, D-Los Angeles, and state senate president pro
tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, according to Connie Razza, an
organizer for the Student Association of Graduate Employees/United
Auto Workers, the union that represents academic student employees
at UCLA. Talks will begin within 10 days.
TAs and other graduate student employees on eight UC campuses
went on strike Dec. 1 seeking collective bargaining rights with the
university. Administrators have said that they are students first,
and thus not eligible for union recognition.
Organizers were quick to point out that another strike could
begin if the unions aren’t recognized by the end of the cooling off
period.
"We have every hope that recognition will be resolved," Razza
said. "If we don’t resolve the recognition issue, we’re fully
prepared to resume the strike."
UC President Richard Atkinson said although the university has
not changed its position, he is willing to hold discussions with
the academic student employee unions.
"While we continue to believe that teaching assistants are not
eligible for collective bargaining, we welcome the opportunity to
sit down and have an open exchange of ideas about issues related to
the strike," Atkinson said in a statement.
Nonetheless, Razza said the cooling off period was a
breakthrough for graduate student employees seeking collective
bargaining.
"It’s the first time the University of California has agreed to
sit in discussions to resolve the recognition issue," Razza said.
"It’s huge."
With reports from Lawrence Ferchaw, Daily Bruin Staff and The
Associated Press.RELATED SITES:
“¢bull;UC News Release
“¢bull;National Association of Graduate and Professional
Students
“¢bull;The Daily Bruin’s complete coverage of the SAGE
strike
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]