State Board Slaps UC with Six Labor Complaints as Academic Workers’ Strike Enters Week Three
UC Santa Barbara’s Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Department Among Those Accused of Unfair Labor Practices
On Tuesday, November 22, six complaints were filed against the University of California by the California Public Employees Relations Board (PERB), supporting allegations of unfair labor practices committed by the university in its bargaining with the union representing UC student workers on strike statewide. The findings, released on day nine of the strike, cover allegations of unlawful labor practices at multiple UC campuses, including UC Santa Barbara.
As the strike now enters its third week, the new complaints issued by PERB add to the growing testimony the United Auto Workers union (UAW) — which represents the 48,000 academic workers who have been striking across all 10 UC campuses since November 14 — has been building against the UC over the course of their negotiations this year.
“These complaints mark recognition of what Academic Workers have known all along: UC’s refusal to bargain with us over all of our compensation is not only unacceptable, it is an unlawful attempt to undermine our collective bargaining rights,” said Kavitha Iyengar, UAW-2865 northern vice president.
