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Monday, 6/30/97 State legislators support SAGE UNIONS: Politicians sign letter to UC Regents urging union recognition

By Stefanie Wong Daily Bruin Staff The fight to gain university recognition by the Student Association of Graduate Employees (SAGE) and its sister unions this past year has consisted of strikes and picket lines - but they have recently adopted a new strategy. Urging immediate union recognition by the UC system, members of the California state legislature presented a letter to UC President Richard Atkinson on June 24. Rolling strikes held by the unions at various UC schools in November and May sparked the attention of state legislators - and 35 of them signed the document. The letter results from the collective work of the Academic Student Employee (ASE) unions of the UC system and members of the state legislature. Some of the signatories include local legislative members Tom Hayden, Richard Polanco and Diane Watson. "We do regular outreach to legislators looking for their support," said Jill Hargis, financial secretary of UC Berkeley's Association of Graduate Student Employees (AGSE). "The strikes raised their awareness of what was going on, so when we called, they knew who we were," she said. "They understood the problem and were sympathetic," she added. Assemblywoman Dion Aroner, (D- Oakland), a supporter of students from UC Berkeley and a long-time advocate of labor rights, was one of the first people contacted to work on the project. "(The students) have done everything that they're supposed to do as employees. It's the public policy of California that employees have the right to organize," said Jennifer Colamonico, a field representative from Aroner's office. "This is a labor issue and the university has tried to make it a student and education issue," she added. "The work of the graduates is important and they should have the right - as other workers do - to try to improve their situations," said Sandy Harrison, a spokesperson for Sen. Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward). "(Lockyer) was happy to climb on board and sign that letter," he added. In September 1996, Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) administrative law judge James W. Tamm ruled that teaching assistants, readers and tutors do have collective bargaining rights. This decision was in addition to PERB's earlier verification that the UC system could voluntarily recognize the ASE unions at any time. However, the university has continued to deny recognition of the unions and is appealing Tamm's decision. The university contends that the decision is inconsistent with an earlier state holding that graduate student instructors and researchers at UC Berkeley did not have collective bargaining rights. The action ASE groups have taken this past year stems from the university's failure to recognize their unions and rights to collective bargaining. Though the strikes have not prompted university recognition, members of the ASE groups believe that they have made progress toward their goal. "(The strikes) have not yet resulted in granting recognition," said SAGE board member John Medearis, "but I can't see responsible administrators not taking notice of the disruptions they have caused by failing to recognize us." These disruptions include canceled, postponed or relocated lectures and discussions caused by the strikes. However, ASE union members are quick to comment that one of the accomplishments of the strikes was growing support for their cause within the universities. SAGE holds that there was an increase in the number of undergraduate, graduate and faculty honoring the strike. Also, over 11,000 undergraduates from UC Berkeley and UCLA signed petitions declaring their support for the unions during the May walkout. "The strike garnered a lot of support and effected the university by raising awareness and increasing pressure on the university," Hargis said. The unions believe that the letter and the support from 35 members of the state legislature are examples of growing pressure from outside the university. "The letter puts the university on notice that key legislators who set policy and write the budget for the UC system are unhappy with it," Medearis said. "The UCs don't have support from legislators, they don't have support from undergraduates and clearly they're in the wrong from the standpoint of the majority of academic student employees," he added. The UC Office of the President has not commented on the letter yet, but ASE members are optimistic and believe the unions will be recognized. "If the university is smart, they'll see that if we have legislative support, we have the support of a large number of people in California," Hargis said. "I see no reason why (the administration) should stick to their unwise reasoning as stubbornly as they have," she added. Previous Daily Bruin Story Grad TA's 'teach out' for recognition, February 8, 1995