UAW Contract Action! Help Improve Workload Protections! (5/12)

WHO: All TAs, Graders, Tutors and Grad Students
WHAT: Grade-in/Tutor-In
WHERE: Bay Tree Plaza, next to Joe's Pizza
WHEN: Tuesday, June 12, 11:30am – 1pm

As contract negotiations have progressed, the administration has stalled having any serious discussion over workload. As enrollment has steadily increased statewide, class and section sizes have ballooned, creating more work for Teaching Assistants, Tutors, and Readers. When we are overworked we cannot provide quality education to our students and we are slower to advance in our academic careers. We are faced with pressure to speed up our work and do more with less. Employees want increased workload protections that would give the union a say over class and section size.

The Union has made several proposals to proactively prevent overworking that have not been addressed by the administration. In addition to negotiating with UC administration over class and section sizes, TAs Tutors, and Readers are also want to win the right to arbitrate over workload. With the current contract, academic student employees cannot take workload grievances to arbitration, which means any workload disputes are settled by an internal university board rather than a neutral arbitrator.

We need to show the administration that the issue of workload is important to us and remind them how crucial our work is for the quality of education at the University of California. Bring any exams or papers you need to grade or hold outdoor office hours/tutoring sessions and help send a strong message to the administration that they must address this key issue.

If you have any questions or would like to get more involved, please contact your campus union office via http://www.uaw2865.org/contact.html.

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UAW Local 2865 - Santa Cruz
310 Locust St., Suite B/Mailbox 2
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
phone: (831) 423-9737 / fax: (831) 423-3606
santacruz [at] uaw2865.org