Following months of tug-of-war between the University of California and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union bargaining team representing the 48,000 UC academic workers on strike statewide, the rope is being handed off to a private mediator. “This joint move to mediation is designed to assist the two parties in overcoming recent negotiation gridlock,” university officials announced on Friday.
The announcement came on the day that this year’s fall term ended for many UC schools, including UC Santa Barbara. With finals coming to a close, and the holiday break and winter quarter fast approaching, the move to mediation may quicken the progress toward a resolution before most UC students are back in class for spring.
“The University is pleased that the UAW has agreed to neutral private mediation so that we may resolve our differences and end the strike that has been impacting our students, faculty, and staff,” said Letitia Silas, UC executive director of systemwide labor relations. “We remain committed to securing a fair and reasonable contract with the union that honors the hard work of our valued graduate student employees. With the help of a neutral mediator, we hope to secure that agreement quickly.”