Final Exam: Canceled. How Strikes have Impacted the UC System
University of California, Berkeley students set up tents after a general assembly voted to again occupy campus as part of an "open university" strike in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement on November 15, 2011 in Berkeley, California. Max Whittaker / Stringer, Getty Images
Important announcement about the final exam format: it’s a short essay, it’s multiple choice, it’s moved to next week, it’s canceled. Don’t get too excited.
Within the last week of Fall Quarter, professors have been rolling out updates about the final exams and end-of-quarter assignments in consideration of the UC-wide academic worker strike that has persisted since Nov. 14. In acknowledgment of unfair labor practices and low wages in relation to high cost of living, members of the academic union swept the California campuses, administrators’ homes, and Sacramento streets in the past month. A mass strike halts grading, discussion sections, and all regular functions that allow undergraduate students to receive grades and move on to the next quarter without financial or academic conflict. That is to say, without academic workers, the university doesn’t exist.
Strikers marching on the UC Davis Campus, image courtesy of David Kwon.
The Origins of UAW
The UC-wide strike began in early November in response to an overwhelming response from the union members. In an email from the UAW, a supermajority of the 48,000 union affiliates voted ‘Yes’ to proceed with the indefinite strike. At UC Davis, undergraduates see social media posts, administrative emails, and Canvas announcements all with the term, “UAW union,” in association with the strike. What is UAW, and what does it do?
Despite popular belief, UAW refers to United Auto Workers, a large labor union that represents laborers in the car manufacturing industry. With the decline of domestic positions in auto and car factories, the UAW now leans to support employees in higher education.
The UAW Demands
The UAW’s aims are to encourage a living wage across the UC system, beginning with a base pay at $54,000 a year. Additional demands include a steady increase in salary for student researchers according to cost of living and experience in their respective roles. More so, the UAW demanded that the UC eliminate any loopholes that would allow the administration to pay academic employees less than an appropriate amount.
Between Nov. 14 and Dec. 3, the UAW and UC have been communicating back and forth with negotiations, until most recently, on Dec. 3, when the UC reported their final offer. Steady wage increases for student researchers and academic student employees were included, to the tune of a 7.5% wage boost by April 2023. Further percentage jumps can be found in detail on the Fair UC Now site. Regardless of this momentous “final” offer, UAW members have not backed down. The UAW hosted a town hall meeting on Dec. 5, to discuss the tentative agreements. In a union member email thread, they wrote, “The bargaining team will spend the next week consulting with their campuses…to discuss the proposal.”
How the UAW Strikes
In mid-November, chants could be heard across campus, “This is what democracy looks like,” “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” Parades of white signs posted on bikes, backpacks, scooters, and skateboards flooded the Quad, athletic fields, and Memorial Union. Other student organizations, like Cops Off Campus, blocked Howard Way, the main entrance for Unitrans buses to move on and off campus from the Memorial Union bus stations. Joy and solidarity unified the campus community during the first week, but as the strike went on, unintended consequences surfaced.
Trials of Participating in the Strike
While the UC-wide strike aims to promote a greater good for its union representatives, it also leaves teaching assistants with the difficult task of deciding what to do about classes and final examinations. In fact, an anonymous teaching assistant recalled, “Part of the reason I haven’t reached out to my students is how mentally drained I’ve been as a result of the strike.”
The ongoing movement leaves many to question, “When will it end?” In a pandemic-esque manner, students have been unable to return to class and stare at Canvas updates wondering when their midterms will be posted. In fact, an anonymous undergraduate student reflected, “My grade hasn't changed since mid-October and I don't know where I currently stand in the class. If anything, I feel concerned about how I'm doing in class.”
University of California, Berkeley students march through campus as part of an "open university" strike on November 15th, 2022.Photo by Max Whittaker/Getty Images.
With legitimate worries in mind, the UC Davis Vice Provost, Mary Croughan, released an email announcement on Dec. 2 saying that all grading deadlines will be moved to Dec. 28 in consideration of the risks associated with academic standings. Financial aid status, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility, and registration hung in the balance.
In a conversation with a Davis Political Review representative, our own Chancellor, Gary S. May, stated, “The negotiations continue at the office of the [UC] President…I wish I was a bit more empowered to make decisions, but I’m not here. All I can do is offer some clarifications and sympathies.”
So, What Now?
That is the million-dollar question, literally. In an email from the UAW on Dec. 12, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, mediator between the UC and UAW, released updates regarding healthcare and wage proposals, which are still up in the air. The message remains: “UC should be hearing our message loud and clear: we’re not done negotiating, and there will be no business as usual while we are fighting for a fair contract.”
Edited by Nour Taha and Andy Essa
Editors Note: Report is still developing and is updated as of 11:44PM, 12/15/2022