Santa Cruz, California – Yejin Song and Daniela Castillo at EdSource report Rebecca Gross will never forget standing in solidarity with fellow Graduate Student Union Workers during United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 4811’s Strike at the University of California (UC) at Santa Cruz in spring 2024.
What Gross remembers most is the moment her friend – a fellow UCSC Student – was fired for allegedly violating a restraining order for picketing on campus. Gross watched in awe as fellow Union Members rallied around her friend, a Graduate Student and Union Member. Fellow Student Union Members held a rally in her honor and more than 1,000 people signed a petition. Eventually, the College relented and rehired Gross’ friend.
“I know my Union would fight like hell for me,” Gross said. EdSource spoke to a half dozen Graduate Student Workers across the University of California System, including UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis and UC Berkeley, to find out why they chose to be part of the Union, the challenges they face while advocating on behalf of their peers and what key issues they hope to tackle in the upcoming contract negotiations. In most cases, College Student Union Members said that they joined the UAW to fight for issues important to them, from legal protections for International Students to better pay to job security.
Some students, like Gross, fought for causes they strongly believed in before they arrived on campus, such as Immigrant Rights and Palestinian Liberation. Others want to fight for fairness and equality, but in a way that provides safety in numbers. Still, others gravitated to Local 4811 without a plan or cause, but found something that enhanced their lives and collegiate experience.
