Threat of a strike becomes reality

Tuesday, November 19, 1996

SAGE:

University still refuses to recognize group’s right to unionize
By A.J. Harwin

Daily Bruin Contributor

Members of the Student Association of Graduate Employees
(SAGE/UAW) began their five-day strike Monday morning, with about
300 student academic employees staking out entrances around campus
with hopes to gain recognition from the university.

For the past 2 1/2 years, SAGE has sought recognition as a union
from the university, which would give the organization collective
bargaining rights. Thus far administrators have said that, under
current California law, the university has no obligation to
recognize the organization, since the people who SAGE represents
are primarily students, not employees of the university.

Barring a change of heart by the UCLA administration, student
academic employees at UC San Diego will follow the actions by SAGE
at UCLA with a strike starting Tuesday at 9 a.m. Students at UC
Berkeley will follow suit if the administration fails to recognize
SAGE by 5 p.m. Tuesday, and will hold their own strike Wednesday
through the end of the week.

In addition, other campuses across the state will hold their own
actions in solidarity with SAGE, strike participants said.

"Our first order of business is actually to get the union
recognized by the administration so that we can sit down with the
administration and negotiate contacts, and other things of that
sort," said Christopher Campbell, a graduate student teaching
assistant in the sociology department.

Partially blocking access to campus, SAGE members are trying to
educate students as they are walking to campus by talking about the
strike’s purpose, and passing out leaflets to students discussing
what SAGE is trying to bring about.

"We’re trying to inform undergraduates about the strike … and
rally support," Campbell said.

"Our hope is that if undergraduates don’t show up, if graduate
students don’t show up, then we can shut this university down, and
eventually the administration will see that they really do need to
be negotiating with us," he added.

SAGE believes that they should have been recognized by the UCLA
administration over two years ago, when a majority of student
academic employees signed cards stating that they wanted SAGE to
represent their interests to the university.

But university officials balked at the move, noting that it has
no obligation to recognize the union.

"The democratic decision was made in 1994, the university should
have recognized (SAGE) back then, since it’s been dragging its
heels," said John Medearis, a lead organizer for SAGE and member of
the association’s executive board.

In September 1996, however, the tables turned against the
university. Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) Judge James Tamm
ruled that the university should either voluntarily recognize the
organization’s collective bargaining efforts, or hold a vote to
determine which organization should represent the students to the
university, Medearis said.

University officials filed an appeal with PERB earlier this
month, reiterating its position on the California law and again
refusing to recognize the organization.

In response, SAGE voted to hold the five-day strike should the
administration fail to recognize the union by 5 p.m. on Sunday,
Nov. 17.

A statement issued Monday morning by Chancellor Charles Young on
the strike said: "There is a misconception that the issue has
already been decided. That’s not the case," he stated.

"UCLA will abide by whatever final judgement is rendered" by the
university’s appeal, he added.

The university has stayed firm in its belief that under
California law "students are not entitled to collectively bargain
unless their service predominates over their educational
objectives," Young stated.

SAGE members, however, note that while university rules suggest
that student academic employees should only work 20 hours per week,
they actually work far more.

"University rules mandate that once you hit 20 hours per week,
you should stop working," said SAGE member Virginia Parks, a
graduate student teaching assistant in the department of urban
planning.

"It’s a very unfair, arbitrary rule. You can’t go to the
department chair and complain because they would just ask you why
the work wasn’t done," she said.

While SAGE claims to have great support throughout UCLA, many
teaching assistants have differing opinions about the strike and
will be in class.

"Frankly speaking, I am not interested in this movement," said
Kenji Tanaka, a teaching assistant in the physics department. "I am
quite satisfied with the present situation around the physics
department," he added.

Other TAs, while supporting SAGE’s efforts, still feel an
obligation to fulfill their contracts and continue instruction this
week.

"I am sympathetic with those TAs that are striking," said Steve
Baur, a teaching assistant in the musicology department. "However,
(with) my experience in our department, I’ve been treated quite
well," he added.

"I don’t feel any strong need to strike because I feel that
we’re pretty well treated as TAs, and I wouldn’t want to not be
there when the students needed us most."

Other graduate students have felt that SAGE has not informed
them well enough to develop opinions about the strike and its
efforts.

"I received no materials, no e-mails about the strike. I really
don’t know what its agendas are," said Stuart de Ocampo, a teaching
assistant with the musicology department.

Strike organizers, however, believed that this strike has
garnered more support than previous actions.

"If we don’t get recognition this time, then we expect that the
membership will support another strike for a longer period of time
to escalate pressure on the university to recognize," Medearis
said.

AARON TOUT

Graduate employees began picketing Monday morning.