UPTE President Dan Russell: "UAW strike is the example that we need"
Months after electing a reform leadership, UAW members are on strike at each of the "Big 3" automakers for the first time in their history. Last week, I joined them at a picket line in Reno, Nevada, along with other CWA leaders. President Biden joined them at a picket line in Michigan, marking the first time a sitting US President has ever joined a picket line.
Autoworkers are not just fighting to undo cuts that they accepted in the 2008 financial crisis; they are fighting to see the benefits of increased productivity, including a 32 hour work week with 40 hours of pay, as their employers bring in record profits.
Similarly, UPS Teamsters settled a contract that ended unfair tiers that had divided their union by leaving new hires behind. Writers may soon approve a tentative agreement, addressing industry-changing conditions brought on by streaming and AI, while actors continue fighting for a similar deal.
UC workers have fallen behind financially too, thanks to inflation and out-of-control housing prices. Despite becoming more and more productive every year while struggling through the COVID 19 pandemic, we are continually asked to do more with less: fewer staff, higher workloads, and lower pay.
Our upcoming 2024 contract negotiations are our opportunity to take a stand and improve our lives at work, our work/life balance, and to make sure that we will be able to continue doing so over the course of our careers.
We deserve raises that more than make up for inflation, which allows us to keep up with the outrageous cost of housing near UC campuses, and guaranteed career advancement into higher level titles. We deserve a shorter workweek with no reduction in pay, more vacation time, flexible schedules, and fairness when it comes to remote versus in-person work. We deserve to be able to move into more advanced job titles without having to give up our union benefits, to not have our work undermined by having vacant positions replaced with contractors, and for per diem workers to have the right to convert to career.
These gains will lay the basis for us bringing thousands of more workers into our union and, as the state's largest employer, will help raise standards for workers across California. In the last year, we have made significant progress as we bring Behavioral Health Counselors and Psychiatric Professionals, Systems Administrators, Optometrists, Community Health Program Representatives, Dietitian 4 Specialists, Pharmacist 5s, Clinical Specialists, and Education Technology Specialists into UPTE.
We know that UC can afford to make all of these a reality, as we demonstrated during our "UC Has the Money" town hall in August. Like the UAW, we need to seize this moment to shape the trajectory of our lives, our families, and our communities. If you haven't already, add your voice to our efforts by contacting us to find out how you can submit a bargaining survey today.
