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On May Day, the IELC was happy to support the striking workers of AFSCME 3299 and UPTE-CWA 9119.
The two unions — who are in ongoing contract negotiations with the University of California (UC) — coordinated their strike dates to align, and put necessary pressure on UC. Bargaining has been ongoing for several months for both unions, who have been forced to strike by the UC’s lack of bargaining in good faith.
A troubling development that workers protested loudly — and is completely in line with the Trump administration’s goal to hurt unionized workers — has arose. The UC has instituted a hiring freeze in a system that was already chronically understaffed. Previous strikes by UPTE and AFSCME 3299 have raised understaffed departments as a major issue, only exacerbated by the freeze.
Workers Unite: The power of solidarity
Fellow union and community members joined the picket line. They included UDW, UFCW 1167, UC-AFT, IAM 947, NUHW, and UAW 4811. UC-AFT hosted a solidarity rally, complete with speakers and live music from Jonny Miller and Suns.
Both Ricardo Cisneros and Celene Perez spoke on behalf of the Labor Council at the solidarity rally. They encouraged workers to keep up their fight for more, reflecting on their days at UC Riverside organizing with AFSCME 3299.
The lineup of speakers included representatives of student government, the Highlander student newspaper, a member of UAW 4811, an NUHW member on strike, UPTE member-leaders, Distinguished Professor Dylan Rodriguez, and AFSCME 3299 member-leaders.
Spirits were high on the line. A call for true, meaningful and full solidarity with all workers was the message of the day. Dylan Rodriguez echoed this sentiment, encouraging workers to continue forming the type of connections that were visible on that day.
As the rally ended, traditional labor songs filled the air. We hope that the rally gave workers on strike the motivation to keep fighting, as it gave us. This beautiful event and action was created by workers, like the wealth of the world. Let’s keep fighting for a just future for workers!
