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AFSCME 3299 Unfair Labor Practice Strike Nov 13--UC-AFT Support and Rights and Responsibilities

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Dear UC-AFT Members,

On Wednesday, November 13, 24,000 service and patient care workers of AFSCME 3299 will conduct a one-day unfair labor practice strike in response to management continued violations by the university outsourcing restrictions in the AFSCME contract, which result in job loss for UC employees and undermine job security, pay and retirement security for contract workers.

AFSCME's struggle with UC over this issue is deeply connected to our struggles with UC regarding their use of contingent academic appointments and their abuse of temporary Librarian appointments to cover permanent work.  Similarly, UC's refusal to implement existing agreements with AFSCME around the use of private, temporary and under-compensated labor, harkens very nearly to our current fight with UC over implementation of our July 1, 2019 pay raise per the "me too" language in the Unit 18 MOU.  The specific circumstances in our separate fights are slightly different, but the underlying motivation, intention and impacts of UC's actions are the same. Our best hope at resisting and changing UC's bad practices is to fight together when we can. On November 13,...we can fight together.  Picket line information is available here.

UC-AFT stands in solidarity with AFSCME 3299, and we encourage our members to demonstrate support for our sister UC union by spending time on the picket line and at rallies. Our goal is to get 200 of our members across the system to the AFSCME picket lines.  Grab a friend or colleague, wear your UC-AFT t-shirt and buttons, and let AFSCME members know they have our support!

Please read the following guidance carefully. If you have any questions about your bargaining unit or your rights, get in touch with a UC-AFT representative before the strike date.

Rights and Responsibilities for UC-AFT Faculty and Librarians
Our UC-AFT faculty contract and our Librarian contract have no-strikes clauses in effect at this time. These clauses prohibit UC-AFT faculty and librarians from withholding our labor during the strike, but you can support our AFSCME 3299 sisters and brothers in a variety of other ways.

You may:
Respect our co-workers’ action as long as you do not withhold your labor or interfere with the operations of the university. You can join the picket line on your own time or refrain from coming to campus any time on November 13th that you are not scheduled to teach, administer an exam, or perform other duties.

Hold class on the picket line or in another alternate off-campus location, as long as accessibility is assured for all students.

Teach the issues, much as you would any other important current event that you might address in your class: instruct students in what a labor union is, what kind of work AFSCME members perform to sustain our university and our hospitals, how a strike happens, and what it means.

Exercise your first amendment rights to free speech by wearing a union button and t-shirt, expressing opinions about the strike, and discussing your own union membership.

Express solidarity with our sisters and brothers in AFSCME 3299. Tag @AFSCMELocal3299 in social media posts and use these hashtags:, #UCfortheMany, #UCUnionsUnited, #solidarity.

You must:
Abide by the terms of our Unit 18 and Unit 17 contracts, particularly Unit 18 Article 35 (No Strikes/No Lockouts), and Unit 17 Article 27 Conterted Activities.

Respect the rights of Academic Student Employees (i.e., grad students) represented by UAW 2865, especially if an individual grad student exercises her right to observe the picket line as a matter of individual conscience and free expression, which is permitted by Article 19 of the UAW 2865 contract.

You may not:
Cancel class or exams.

Encourage others to cancel class or exams.

Engage in a strike, sympathy strike, stoppage or interruption of work, or other concerted activity that interferes directly or indirectly with university operations.

Let us know immediately if you exercise your rights in accordance with our contract and experience any intimidation or retaliation. It is illegal for an employer to retaliate for communicating about or participating in union activities.

In solidarity,

Mia L. McIver, Ph.D.
Lecturer, UCLA Writing Programs
President, UC-AFT