Informational Picket Media Advisory and Details: Fair Contract Now!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: After bombshell report in CalMatters, UC Lecturers to hold demonstrations on campuses across the state Oct. 13-14

Media contacts: UC-AFT President Mia McIver (949-231-7934) UC-AFT Communications Chair Caroline Luce (860-778-8580)

UC-AFT, the union that represents 6000+ lecturers at the University of California, will be holding informational pickets on campuses across the state this Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 13-14, in response to an explosive report released by CalMatters last week. Based on in-depth analysis of UC wage data, employee classifications, and academic codes, the report revealed new details about the working conditions of the lecturers who teach ⅓ of credit courses at the UC, including:

• About 25% of the lecturers at UC don’t return annually because of low pay and lack of job stability, meaning their students lose the mentors they rely on to guide them through their academic careers.
• While UC lecturers are guaranteed a 6% raise after 3 cumulative years of teaching in the same department, the average length of service for UC lecturers is less than two years, meaning most won’t ever qualify for that bump.
• While lecturer turnover — also known as churn — has increased in the last decade, the number of UC lecturers continues to grow, raising speculation that the UC is relying on a cadre of part-time workers with few protections to educate its more than 285,000 students and keep costs low.

Read the full CalMatters report here: https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2021/10/uc-workforce-lecturers/

The article highlights issues that UC-AFT members have been raising since their current contract negotiations began in April 2019. Hundreds of members have testified to how their lack of job stability negatively impacts their students and their families. But while the democratically-elected members of the UC-AFT bargaining team have consistently come to the table in good faith with the UC Office of the President (UCOP), negotiations reached an impasse this summer. For thousands of UC lecturers, this means entering into another academic year of uncertainty, struggling to make ends meet without access to health care, job stability, or a living wage.

Having already voted by an overwhelming majority of 96% to authorize a strike, UC lecturers will be taking action to defend themselves, their students, and the educational mission of the UC. At rallies across the state on October 13 and 14 from 10am to 2pm, they’ll be calling on UC President Michael Drake to show his leadership and reinvest in his teaching faculty by signing a fair contract with UC-AFT. Learn more at WeTeachUC.org/Drake.

Information on the locations of actions and media contacts for each campus follows below. Additional questions and concerns can be directed to: UC-AFT President Mia McIver (949-231-7934) or UC-AFT Communications Chair Caroline Luce (860-778-8580).

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UC Berkeley: Informational Pickets, Oct. 13 + 14, 10am - 2pm at Bancroft and Telegraph

Rallies: Oct. 13 + 14 at 12pm at MLK Student Center

Contact: Crystal Chang Cohen (crystal@ucaft.org, 415-961-7962)

UCSB: Informational Pickets, Oct. 13 + 14, 10am - 2pm at Storke Tower
Rally: Oct. 14 Noon Storke Tower

Contact: Branden Adams (Adams.Branden@gmail.com, 304-890-6503)

UC Davis: Informational Pickets, Oct. 13 + 14, 10am - 2pm at 1st & A (School of Education)

Rallies: Oct. 13 + 14 at 12pm (same location)

Contact: Katie Rodger (karodger@gmail.com, 408-623-2601)

UC Santa Cruz: Informational Pickets, Oct. 13 + 14, 10am - 2pm at Base of Campus, West Entrance to campus
Rallies: Oct. 13 + 14 at 12pm at Bay Tree Plaza
Contact: Josh Brahinsky (jbrahins@ucaft.org, 609-558-7470)

UCSD: Informational Pickets, Oct. 13 + 14, 10am - 2pm at Library Walk/Silent Tree

Rallies: Oct. 13, 12pm + Oct. 14 at 12:30pm (same location)

Contact: Megan Strom (mcstrom@gmail.com, 530-867-2063)

UC Irvine: Informational Pickets, Oct. 13 + 14, 10am - 2pm at UCI Flagpole (Aldrich Hall)

Rally: Oct. 13 at 12pm (same location)

Contact: Andrew Tonkavich (andrewtonkovich@ucaft.org, 949-235-8193)

UC Merced: Informational Pickets, Oct. 13 + 14, 10am - 2pm at Main Quad (near Library)

Rallies: Oct. 13 + 14 at 12pm (same location)

Contact: Shannon Garland (shannon.garland@gmail.com, 718-697-9765)

Derek Sollberger (derek.sollberger@gmail.com, 209-500-7316)

UC Riverside: Informational Pickets, Oct. 13 + 14, 10am - 2pm at Campus Drive & University Ave.

Rally: Oct. 13 at 12pm (same location)

Contact: Stephanie Ann Wilms-Simpson (Wilmsster@gmail.com, 760-583-3960)

UCLA: Informational Pickets, Oct. 13 + 14, 10am - 2pm at Meyerhoff Park (outside Kerckhoff Hall)

Rallies: Oct. 13 + 14 at 12pm (same location)
Contact: Caroline Luce (carolineluce2@gmail.com, 860-778-8580)