This post was updated Nov. 21 at 10:50 p.m.

UCLA representatives of United Auto Workers’ academic and non-academic units threatened to strike at a Thursday rally in Bruin Plaza if the University’s allegedly unfair labor practices continue.

About 200 UAW-represented employees attended the rally amid ongoing rainfall – including those from UAW Local 4811 – which represents academic student employees, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers – as well as its student service and advising professionals, and research and public service professionals units.

UAW Local 4811’s contract – including that of the ASEs – with the UC will expire Jan. 1, 2026, and the union is currently bargaining for a new contract. SSAPs and RPSPs are currently negotiating for their first contract as separate units.

[Related: UAW Local 4811 members continue negotiations amid teaching hours being cut]

The unions – which represent over 48,000 UC workers – held simultaneous rallies at 10 other UC campus locations to demand better wages, job security and protections for international workers.

The rally began around 4 p.m., with union members giving speeches alleging that the UC has offered unfair counterproposals and delayed its responses in contract negotiations. Attendees held up signs reading, “Our rights our future/fair contracts now!” and “40,000 strong/researchers educators public servants.”

Participants also pumped their umbrellas while chanting “UC, UC pick a side, workers rights won’t be denied” and “Settle now or feel the heat, workers won’t accept defeat.”

Union representatives alleged in speeches that the UC is taking too long to respond to contract proposals and is offering inadequate responses. The UC Office of the President did not respond in time to a request for comment on the negotiations.

“UC is dragging its feet while we do the work that makes this university run,” said Noura Alaboudi – an ASE head steward – in a speech. “They know exactly what we need to do our jobs, yet they keep delaying, they keep stalling … Every delay by the UC is a choice. Every empty counteroffer is a signal. They think they can wait us out. Are we gonna let them do that?”

The audience chanted “no” in response. Alaboudi added that if the UC does not engage in productive negotiations soon, the union would have to “escalate” the situation as it did in 2022. In December, the union – then UAW Local 2865, UAW Local 5810 and Student Researchers United-UAW – struck across the UC in what was the largest strike across the United States since 2019.

The UAW Local 4811’s previous contract increased pay up to 80% from before 2022, improved childcare support and included remission for tuition for international student workers for three years.

[Related: UC academic workers walk out in largest US strike since 2019]

UAW Local 4811 also struck in May 2024 after filing multiple unfair labor practice charges against the UC, claiming the University failed its responsibility as an employer when it allowed law enforcement to use force on its members during the sweep of the Palestine solidarity encampment at UCLA.

[Related: United Auto Workers Local 4811 calls UCLA to ‘stand up,’ strike starting May 28]

Aya Konishi, a member of the ASE bargaining team, said ASEs have been bargaining for four months. She added that members have brought multiple proposals to the UC, but have not received a response on what the contract should look like.

Konishi, a doctoral student in the department of sociology, said ASEs are prepared to “escalate” if the University does not reach an agreement with the union.

SSAP-UAW – which formed in November 2024 and joined UAW 4811 in bargaining April 2025 – and RPSP-UAW, which formed in September 2025, are bargaining for their first contracts. Both units aim for contracts with increased job security, transparent pathways for promotions and protections against increasing workloads, according to their websites.

SSAP-UAW bargaining began in July, but the two units have bargained together since October. The units have two bargaining sessions left in 2025.

Leila Espinosa, a project management professional at UCLA and member of RPSP-UAW, said in a speech that UC leadership has allegedly denied RPSP-UAW and SSAP-UAW benefits offered to other UAW workers such as protections against discrimination and sufficient paid time off.

“I was at bargaining yesterday, and the UC provided a benefits proposal, which included a simple hyperlink to what’s already our benefits on the UC website,” said Carolina Cormack Orellana, a member of the RPSPs’ bargaining team. “If we liked those benefits, we wouldn’t be here bargaining, so, ‘No, thank you.'”

Cormack Orellana, a field researcher in epidemiology, added that the University’s wage offers for RPSPs’ new contract have lower cost of living adjustments than the ones they do now, given that they do not currently have a contract.

Konishi said she sees similarities between UAW Local 4811’s strike in 2022 and what RPSPs and SSAPs are fighting for now.

“The UC has refused to agree to some of the same protections that student workers and postdocs already have here at the UC for staff, so they’re trying to basically distinguish between staff and academic titles,” she said. “We are all working people, we need a lot of the same things.”

Ben Slater, a member of UAW Local 4811, said he hopes to resume full-time workloads for math department teaching assistants. Slater, a graduate student in mathematics, said he believes slight pay increases are not beneficial when academic student workers take home less pay overall due to limited workloads.

“We can barely pay rent,” he said. “I can’t imagine anybody’s going to want to come here next year for grad school if the conditions continue as they are.”

Slater added that funding cuts have also impacted undergraduate students, as homework graders have been eliminated and do not have TAs.

[Related: UCLA math department TA, grader cuts spark concern over student learning, support]

Ibrahim Alhajji, a material sciences graduate student from Saudi Arabia, said he attended to advocate for workers’ rights, especially those who are international workers. Alhajji added that the assurance of secure research funding would support international students at UCLA amid grant suspensions.

Alhajji said he is glad that American unions stand up for workers’ rights.

“In our country (Saudi Arabia), we don’t have the unions and so on, so it’s very different,” Alhajji said.

UAW Local 4811 also previously rallied in late October to demand that the UC protect its international workers and to deliver a petition to UC and UCLA administration calling for financial assistance and legal support for students who experience changes to their immigration status.

[Related: UAW Local 4811 rallies to demand UC protects international workers]

The federal government revoked visas of at least 19 UCLA students and alumni in April, as well as those from other UCs. However, the Trump administration announced later in April that it would restore the visas while it created a new “framework for status record termination.”

[Related: Trump administration revokes visas of multiple UCLA, UC students]

The union also asked in the petition for the University to stop federal immigration agents from accessing campus without a warrant. A law mandating that schools – including the UC – notify students, faculty and staff that federal immigration enforcement agents are confirmed to be on campus went into effect immediately Sept. 20 after receiving a signature from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The next joint RPSP-UAW and SSAP-UAW bargaining session is scheduled for Dec. 3 to 5. UAW Local 4811 will also hold a bargaining session in December.

“We’re all working as 40,000 workers together,” Konishi said. “The ball is in the UC’s court now.”