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Employee Strike at UC Berkeley
Clerical employees at UC Berkeley and at the UC Office of the President to went on strike from August 26th through August 28th, 2002, in order to protest the University's Unfair Labor Practices.
The purpose of our strike is to protest the University's unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practice strikes are legal and protected under California law.
CUE has at least 20 solid unfair practice charges on file with the state of California. As we've reported in our recent communications to you, we charge that the University is breaking California's labor laws by bargaining in bad faith, prematurely cutting off negotiations, failing to give our bargainers crucial information needed for negotiations, unilaterally changing terms and conditions of employment without bargaining with CUE, failing to live up to its agreement with regard to the use of temporary employees, breaking its promise by denying us parking and transit subsidy improvements - and falsely blaming it all on CUE!
It is ironic, to say the least, for the University to tell us that we don't need a strike and that we can "reconcile [our] differences at the bargaining table," when it is UC which prematurely cut off bargaining, threatened us with regressive proposals and take-aways, and refused to confirm future bargaining dates!
UC's insulting wage offer speaks for itself. UC says that its funds are restricted, but it won't show us the documents that support its claim. UC claims that, with benefits, our salaries are nearly at par with other clerical salaries, but it won't show us the study that it says supports its claim. UC has not changed its salary proposal since September 2001 (when it moved from offering .9% to 1% for the first year of the contract) and has tied its hands by agreeing with another union that if our members receive more than 1% for 2001-02, its members will receive an increased range adjustment as well. The University hasn't bargained fairly on wages and we strike in protest of the University's bad faith bargaining.
Our strike is in protest of these unfair labor practices; a strike may be averted if the University takes immediate steps to correct these labor law violations. It is illegal to discipline or to threaten to discipline an employee for participating in an unfair labor practice strike. It is also illegal to unilaterally change attendance policies in preparation for a strike or to deny leave which otherwise would have been granted because of a presumed connection to strike activity.
Also, it is illegal for University managers and supervisors to quiz you about your support for CUE, or to ask you if you intend to honor the picket line. Let us know immediately if you are illegally questioned or intimidated in this way.
The University repeatedly has distorted CUE's intentions and actions -- don't let the University scare you from exercising your lawful right to protest the University's unfair labor practices.
For more information or to report illegal intimidation by University supervisors, contact CUE at berkeleycue [at] earthlink.net; or (510) 841-0700.
Also for updates see: http://www.cueunion.org/berkeley/strike2002.php3
CUE has at least 20 solid unfair practice charges on file with the state of California. As we've reported in our recent communications to you, we charge that the University is breaking California's labor laws by bargaining in bad faith, prematurely cutting off negotiations, failing to give our bargainers crucial information needed for negotiations, unilaterally changing terms and conditions of employment without bargaining with CUE, failing to live up to its agreement with regard to the use of temporary employees, breaking its promise by denying us parking and transit subsidy improvements - and falsely blaming it all on CUE!
It is ironic, to say the least, for the University to tell us that we don't need a strike and that we can "reconcile [our] differences at the bargaining table," when it is UC which prematurely cut off bargaining, threatened us with regressive proposals and take-aways, and refused to confirm future bargaining dates!
UC's insulting wage offer speaks for itself. UC says that its funds are restricted, but it won't show us the documents that support its claim. UC claims that, with benefits, our salaries are nearly at par with other clerical salaries, but it won't show us the study that it says supports its claim. UC has not changed its salary proposal since September 2001 (when it moved from offering .9% to 1% for the first year of the contract) and has tied its hands by agreeing with another union that if our members receive more than 1% for 2001-02, its members will receive an increased range adjustment as well. The University hasn't bargained fairly on wages and we strike in protest of the University's bad faith bargaining.
Our strike is in protest of these unfair labor practices; a strike may be averted if the University takes immediate steps to correct these labor law violations. It is illegal to discipline or to threaten to discipline an employee for participating in an unfair labor practice strike. It is also illegal to unilaterally change attendance policies in preparation for a strike or to deny leave which otherwise would have been granted because of a presumed connection to strike activity.
Also, it is illegal for University managers and supervisors to quiz you about your support for CUE, or to ask you if you intend to honor the picket line. Let us know immediately if you are illegally questioned or intimidated in this way.
The University repeatedly has distorted CUE's intentions and actions -- don't let the University scare you from exercising your lawful right to protest the University's unfair labor practices.
For more information or to report illegal intimidation by University supervisors, contact CUE at berkeleycue [at] earthlink.net; or (510) 841-0700.
Also for updates see: http://www.cueunion.org/berkeley/strike2002.php3
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Picket lines and rallies greeted U.C. Berkeley students as the fall semester began Monday.
About 2000 clerical workers -- including phone operators, child care workers, librarians, and secretaries -- started a three-day strike to protest the lack of progress in labor negotiations. The clerical workers are asking for job security and better pay.
"U.C. ... thinks it's above the law. The last straw was the August 7th bargaining session when they more or less just stopped negotiations," said striker Ama Tullah Alaji-Sabrie. "We want to talk, but they forced us into this position."
The university and the union have worked together for about a year to find a pay scale both sides like. But there's no solution yet, and at some point, the U.C. system says, there's just no more money.
"There's nothing inappropriate or illegal in presenting a final offer," said U.C. spokesman Paul Schwartz. "That's part of the negotiation process. We feel that we have presented them repeatedly with very fair offers."
The school says it has a plan in place to switch workers around to reduce the impact of the strike.
"This is pretty much what I expect," said student Chloe Jarvis. "It's kind of fun. This is what Berkeley is all about."
Lectures plan to walk off the job Wednesday, after explaining the situation to students Monday and Tuesday. They also say they need pay raises and more job security.
About 2000 clerical workers -- including phone operators, child care workers, librarians, and secretaries -- started a three-day strike to protest the lack of progress in labor negotiations. The clerical workers are asking for job security and better pay.
"U.C. ... thinks it's above the law. The last straw was the August 7th bargaining session when they more or less just stopped negotiations," said striker Ama Tullah Alaji-Sabrie. "We want to talk, but they forced us into this position."
The university and the union have worked together for about a year to find a pay scale both sides like. But there's no solution yet, and at some point, the U.C. system says, there's just no more money.
"There's nothing inappropriate or illegal in presenting a final offer," said U.C. spokesman Paul Schwartz. "That's part of the negotiation process. We feel that we have presented them repeatedly with very fair offers."
The school says it has a plan in place to switch workers around to reduce the impact of the strike.
"This is pretty much what I expect," said student Chloe Jarvis. "It's kind of fun. This is what Berkeley is all about."
Lectures plan to walk off the job Wednesday, after explaining the situation to students Monday and Tuesday. They also say they need pay raises and more job security.
I'm the strike supporter in middle of photo "picket1.jpg, JPG" - how come the person next to me has no head?
For more information:
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/~lcushing/Home...
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