UC academic workers union calls for strikes at UCLA and UC Davis over campus protest responses

The labor union that represents thousands of University of California academic workers is calling on members at UCLA and UC Davis to go on strike to protest their campuses' responses to pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

In a post on X, the UAW 4811 union urged academic workers at the two campuses to "STAND UP and walk off the job" on Tuesday. The workers would be following in the footsteps of union members at UC Santa Cruz, who went on strike this week.

UAW 4811, which is part of the United Auto Workers, represents 48,000 graduate students who work as teaching assistants, tutors and researchers across the UC system's 10 campuses. The spring quarter ends June 13 at UC Davis and June 14 at UCLA.

The union argues the UC system "mishandled and escalated the situation by taking unlawful actions that cut to the heart of our collective bargaining agreements," alleging administrators infringed on the free speech of pro-Palestinian and antiwar activists protesting the Israel-Hamas war.

UAW 4811 is also protesting the arrests of union members who participated in demonstrations.

The UC system did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment on the possible strikes. UC officials filed an injunction with the state Public Employment Relations Board to stop the walkout. The request was denied, but the board issued a complaint Thursday accusing UAW 4811 of failing to "provide adequate advance notice of its work stoppage."

The expanded strike was announced the same day UCLA Chancellor Gene Block testified before a Republican-led House committee about campus antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Block testified that UCLA should have acted more quickly to remove an encampment of pro-Palestinian activists that devolved into chaos late April 30 after a mob of counterprotesters launched a violent attack.

The clashes went on for hours before law enforcement officers arrived. The encampment was eventually taken down, and more than 200 people were arrested.

"With the benefit of hindsight, we should have been prepared to immediately remove the encampment if and when the safety of our community was put at risk," Block told the GOP-led panel Thursday. He testified alongside the presidents of Rutgers University and Northwestern University.

UCLA announced this week that the campus police chief who was faulted for his apparently slow response to the night of violence had been removed from his post, "temporarily, pending an examination of our security processes," it said in a statement.

On Thursday, pro-Palestinian activists returned to UCLA while police in riot gear stood nearby. The university said in a statement that it would not tolerate another encampment.

"Demonstrators have been informed that if they do not disperse, they will face arrest and possible disciplinary action, as well as an order to stay away from campus for 7 days," the statement said.