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Thursday, December 10, 1998

TA union strike on 45-day hiatus until UC meeting

SAGE: Graduate students ready for another walkout if demands not fulfilled

By Timothy Kudo

Daily Bruin Contributor

The strike at eight UC campuses by teaching assistants (TAs), readers and tutors ended Monday after a proposal for a 45-day "cooling off period" was accepted by the university and the unions.

The deal, which was proposed by State Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, and Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, D-Los Angeles, calls for talks to begin within the next week.

"We have confidence that these talks will result in a resolution to this issue," said Connie Razza an organizer for the Student Association of Graduate Employees (SAGE), the union that represents academic student employees at UCLA.

Union leaders negotiating the deal included United Auto Workers Vice President Elizabeth Bunn and Ricardo Ochoa, an organizer for the Berkeley union. The deal must now be approved by the entire union membership.

Razza is confident the deal will be confirmed. "I think that everyone realizes that this is a great opportunity," she said.

Though a date for the talks has not been set, they could be held at the UC Office of the President in Oakland, according to UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor Rory Hume.

Hume also said that UC President Richard Atkinson and his staff will probably represent the university in the talks.

Although both parties have agreed to meet, neither have altered their positions. The university still maintains that academic student employees are principally students, and thus not eligible for collective bargaining.

Union leaders say they will strike again next quarter if they are not recognized during the cooling off period.

"If things aren't resolved then yes, we will resume the strike," Razza said.

Though union members have gone back to work, the strike can be resumed without delay, should SAGE deem it necessary. Because the strike is not cancelled, merely put on hold, a vote from union members is not needed, Razza said.

Union and university officials declined to give the specific details of what will be discussed. However, the talks are set to focus solely on the issue of collective bargaining, not employee grievances.

"The talks are going to revolve around the issue that was involved in the strikes," Razza said.

But the university has left open the possibility that the discussion could center around other issues.

"There are many issues that we would like to address," UC Spokesman Brad Hayward said.

According to university figures, only about 5 percent of TAs, readers and tutors went on strike.

Union members said they dispute that claim because the university has agreed to begin talks.

"I think it actually shows that the union is powerful enough and that it should be taken seriously," said Bruce Rusk, a TA in the history department and a member of SAGE.

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