UAW Local 2865 - 19,000 Student workers strong
On Wednesday 2/12 at 1pm UAW 2865 members will rally for campus housing affordability with coalition partners and other campus community members.
Recent spikes in the cost of housing mean that many academic workers are now spending in excess of 60% of their salaries on rent. And decisions made by administrators are exacerbating the issue.
For more information about the rallies, please see the following:
Monday, January 27, 2019, UCSC graduate students withholding grades were notified that if they do not submit grades by Feb. 2, 2020, they will be subject to discipline under the student code of conduct. Yesterday, UAW President Kavitha Iyengar wrote the following letter to UCSC labor relations in response:
Dear Jennifer,
In the Chancellor’s letter to the UCSC community, sent yesterday, she states: “graduate students who do not submit grades by Feb. 2, 2020, will receive a written disciplinary warning in accordance with the UC/UAW contract. Students alleged to have deleted grades will receive a student conduct summons.
Please note the position of the UAW, which is that any such discipline would be unwarranted. Further, any discipline issued to an individual regarding grades by definition would be an allegation regarding their duties as an employee of the University, as non employees do not issue grades. Therefore, any such discipline would be covered by the UC/UAW 2865 contract and all rights to challenge such discipline will arise from that contract as well. Any reference to a student conduct summons in the context or employment is misplaced and an unlawful effort to subvert the contract and the Union’s and its’ members rights.
Sincerely,
Kavitha Iyengar
President UAW 2865
Dear UAW 2865 Member,
At the July 2019 Joint Council meeting in Irvine, the elected leadership of UAW 2865 voted to refer a package of bylaws amendments to the Bylaws Committee.
The Bylaws Committee will produce a report regarding the proposed amendments and then automatically refer the amendments package back to the Joint Council. The amendments will then be considered at the upcoming Joint Council meeting from 9am to 12 noon on October 26, 2019 in Berkeley, California (room TBA). Bylaws amendments require a 2/3rds vote to pass.
After long negotiations with UAW 2865, UC has finally agreed to compensate over 700 student workers at UCPath campuses who experienced issues with pay, with after-tax amounts ranging from $150-$450. These payments are in addition to any pay owed by the university and are intended to make workers whole for difficulties they experienced—such as late fees, loan interest, stress, and inconvenience—due to missed or late paychecks caused by UCPath.
This victory was only possible because of the determined effort of UAW 2865 members and leaders across the state who came together to confront chancellors, speak with legislators, and talk to their coworkers about the botched UCPath rollout.
UCLA UAW members confront Chancellor Block about UCPath on November 30, 2018.
The payments are determined as follows:
To receive your pay, you must ensure that your pay method is up-to-date in the UCPath portal.
The settlement shows what can be accomplished when workers fight for their rights, and it’s a lesson to carry forward as the UCPath rollout continues at UC Davis and UC Berkeley next month.
While it’s great to see the University taking accountability for the harm caused by UCPath, this battle is far from over. Please report here if you continue to experience pay issues, and share this form with any Academic Student Employee you know who might be having problems with UCPath.
Email UAW 2865 if you have any questions or would like to get more involved. Congratulations on this hard-fought victory!
