On April 3, over 500 University of California Los Angeles workers, teachers, undergraduate and graduate students participated in an organized union strike that took to the streets ending in a mass sit-it at the Chancellor’s Office.
The one- day strike was organized by UCLA graduate student employees represented by UAW Local 2865 to demand an end to the vast expansion of class sizes and workloads on Teaching Assistants, to demand a formal meeting with UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, to demand an immediate end to police intimidation and brutality used to discourage union protests, and to stand in solidarity with the 22 student protesters arrested at UC Santa Cruz the previous day. However, hundreds of workers, undergraduate students, and teachers came not only to support the TAs, but, to protest working conditions, outrageous tuition, and corrupt financial practices that continually put the interests of the administration before the rights of the workers, students and teachers.
The protest which began at 11 AM quickly expanded into a vast multicultural front with members of a many different communities expressing their grievances. Early chants called for a strike and better working conditions, however, when confronted by police, the crowd quickly began chanting, “No justice, No Peace, No Racist Police!” In response to the police intimidation and threat, the crowd fought back, taking the streets and marching off campus, taking the streets of Westwood.
Upon returning to campus, the UCLA Police attempted to detain two protesters, however the crowd immediately swarmed the police demanding and securing an immediate release of both people. In response the unified workers, students, and teachers marched to Murphy Hall and occupied the front of Chancellor Gene Block’s office.
In front of the Chancellor’s office, workers, students and teachers read off a list of their demands and had many speakers. One student worker talked about corrupt business practices, increasing class sizes, and the workload put onto TAs who are expected to attend classes, work on their research, and work over 50 hours per week while only being paid for 20 hours. One Native American student described being forced out of school because of tuition and corrupt administration practices.
Students of color spoke about racism within the system and the lack of diversity on campus. Iraq War veteran and member of March Forward! Ryan Endicott spoke about the lack of support to returning service members and the fact that over 80 percent of returning veterans drop out of higher education in their first year, while only 3 percent are completing their higher education.
What was clear from the protest was that the entire UC system does not put the educational needs of students first. Workers, students, teachers, immigrants, people of color and veterans alike have had their basic right to an education take a back seat to the financial interests of administrators and the economic interests of the UC system. Consequently, the workers, students, and teachers are organizing and have decided to fight back. As the protest ended, the crowd chanted, “We’ll Be Back! No Justice, No Peace!”
