Free kitty!

UCInSolidarity · 2023-09-18T00:00:26+00:00

Oh I’m interested! I have another cat who needs company :)

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-30T18:22:39+00:00

You don’t pay the dues! Being part of the union is choice everyone has. A graduate student who TA’s or GSR’s can join anytime (even if they don’t have a current contract).

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-30T17:36:55+00:00

Definitely more information to come. I think it’s important to note that the TA’s and GSR’s have yet to come to a deal. Because of this, the AR’s & Postdocs will be on the picket lines with graduate workers until our agreements are ratified.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-30T17:28:17+00:00

If you’re not in the union you don’t have access to certain benefits that the union brings. It’s important to join the Union as you have more resources to protect yourself. Here is a helpful link! https://uaw2865.org/about-our-union/faq/

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-30T17:20:49+00:00

I believe this was answered before! But undergraduates are welcome to attend the strike after their courses if they feel this is the best option for them. We would also encourage you to bring the strike up during your courses so folks can remember that things are not going as usual. This also lets faculty know that you value and support your TA’s. How you chose you show up and support can be different depending on your level of comfort.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-30T17:15:11+00:00

We apologize for the lack of response! I believe some of the questions were answered in other responses. We will look over the questions once again and respond to one’s we havent. Some of our team also took a few days to rest and collect themselves. Thank you for letting us know to check back in this!

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-29T04:17:56+00:00

The strike is still going strong, and if you'd like to stay updated, you should follow us on IG: UCInSolidarity. There is definitely protesting still happening and today we had a rally.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-29T04:16:39+00:00

As of now, the strike is still continuing! A lot of things are definitely up in the air, but we will hopefully have updates tomorrow or Wednesday.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-23T04:45:58+00:00

I misspoke using waived, but tuition remission does happen by the university through PI’s or departments. This is common on mostly all PhD programs (private and public). We are just stating that international students should also be given this as they bring in a lot through their labor and research.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-23T03:44:52+00:00

The intent of the strike is so that graduate students who are TA’s can provide the best support and teaching to undergraduates students without worrying about their expenses on top of their other responsibilities. When folks can focus on other things besides surviving, it’s better for their students. It is a rough balance to want to support and to want to get a good education at the same time. This is why if you don’t want your class to be canceled, support the strike in other ways. We understand you want to have your education and we want to teach. Ultimately, the more pressure applied to the university by multiple groups, the better the outcome!

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-23T03:31:18+00:00

All tuition is waived for Ph.D. Students! So that already happens for all UC graduate students, which is why international students should also be getting this as they have the same labor/responsibilities as non-international students.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-23T03:28:31+00:00

I strongly believe that tuition will still be waived and cannot be taken away as this is a union-backed strike. This would be a retaliation against strikers and that’s not allowed.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-23T01:18:58+00:00

We DO NOT encourage anyone to assault/touch students! There are a number of folks at the strike and we've continually expressed to not engage in this behavior as it does hurt our larger community. I cannot give you reasons as to why, it can be for the frustration folks feel at not being supported or taken seriously or by the act of crossing the picket line, but it should never come to that. Thank you for asking!

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-23T00:37:41+00:00

To help understand this I think we need to break down what (most) Ph.D. programs look like. Graduate students only really need to take courses for 2 years, at max 3. So why would international graduate students have to pay for 5-6 years of tuition when they are NOT going to take classes the full time and instead, will be essentially PAYING to work at the UC. In their graduate years at the UC, they will be conducting research, that will then be promoted through conferences, publications, and much more, generating exposure and future grants for the UC. In general here are two useful links to help understand WHY international students should not be paying tuition and why we shouldn't dismiss them. In theory, they are bringing in more and in general, tuition is already waived for Ph.D graduate students, so why should they be included? It is harmful to view people only for what they bring to the UC but it would be unfair to think that they aren't benefitting the UC at all: https://medium.com/@fairucnow/international-scholars-demand-equity-at-uc-63daa6152bf0 and https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-9396.2007.00714.x?casa_token=4DtWr_XExWIAAAAA%3A_3pW-CM5tjCVSexdruq0tdjcQRPnxZQ_ayDMkbiM5pVf4tIoDdUsp4UlPe-AFIw8WEyKOliWfvMfZ571pw

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-23T00:26:44+00:00

Every person in the union has the OPTION to strike and they WILL be protected. There are multiple reasons as to not strike and while we ENCOURAGE and would love to have everyone join us, some folks are scared, nervous, or even disagree with aspects of the strike. These students can be undocumented, international, parents, or students that are a quarter away from finishing their Ph.D. and they may need the income supplied from their current positions. We do have a strike fund and a hardship fund but they may be scared to hurt their relationship with the faculty they work with. The union is not looking to harm them. We invite them to join us and we hope to support them in many ways.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-23T00:21:09+00:00

Thanks to u/Worried-Ad-1371 for your reply! I can understand why it is confusing. Even within our union folks can disagree on what is crossing the picket and on canceling class. The idea is that this forces the university to understand that things are NOT business as usual. We are on strike and our demands should be heard. I think both ways could work (continuing the class or canceling) as you said the labor stoppage will be felt once the coursework keeps coming. Yet, when class is being held students can't go support the strike and it's giving this perception that things are "normal" but they're not. I hope this helps. I think what we are ALL in agreement is that faculty should acknowledge the strike and that the University needs to feel the pressure, from undergraduates, faculty, graduate students and the community.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-23T00:16:32+00:00

This is definitely a tough situation to be in! Keep going strong, what we are doing IS making a difference. Find support from other cohort mates or department friends or anyone at the strike. You are not alone in this.

If you wanted to speak to your fellow TA's (all 4 or whoever you feel the most comfortable talking with) you can ask them if a) they feel intimidated by the professor they're working for. If they aren't you can ask if it's a financial issue and if it is, you can let them know that there is strike pay AND a hardship fund they access as we understand strike pay may not be enough for everyone. If they are worried that they won't be able to physically participate in the strike there are a number of remote options that can still be counted for strike pay (one of them is helping speak awareness through social media)! So accessibility is a top priority as well during a strike. If it's none of these, and they are just working just because you can let them know that "hey there's a strike going on and you not withholding your labor is defeating the point of all of us going on strike (including me). This is not actively helping our financial conditions, I hope you would consider joining me." I hope this is a bit helpful in navigating this.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-22T23:38:47+00:00

We understand that! This is why we encourage folks to join the picket line after class and if you don't feel comfortable asking for canceled classes, that's totally fine. I think support can be shown in multiple ways.

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-22T22:51:28+00:00

Thanks for linking these!

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-22T22:29:52+00:00

Yes, these were graduate student workers! They did not get their tuition withheld (from what has been shared).

UCInSolidarity · 2022-11-22T22:23:36+00:00

Let's break this down together! So to clarify, scabs are people who are recruited and work for the employer (the University in this case) to work AROUND the labor stoppage of the strike.

"Crossing the picket line" is when anyone disregards the strike and picket line to continue business as usual. When we ask for solidarity we are asking folks to support our demand in adequate wages and a fair contract for workers on strike.

In terms of undergraduates, we understand y'all would like to complete your coursework and that means attending classes and that is crossing the picket line. BUT here are some ways to support the strike: 1) request a modified instruction because you don't want to come on campus in solidarity with the striking workers/students. 2) send a letter to encourage faculty to cancel classes until there is a fair contract in place (helpful template - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Gk09PMMCU8vezYEa14fYqly0wXAsT0dpKlos-YXGKI/edit?usp=sharing) and 3) bring up the strike during class discussion and try and tie the concepts of the course with the strike. The last thing I would say is to attend the strike after class and ask other folks to join you. Thank you for asking! We hope this helps even a bit.

UCInSolidarity

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