Administration at the University of California System expects more than 1,000 lecturers who participated in a two-day strike protesting unfair labor practices to return to classes today. Campuses whose lecturers participated in the strike include California’s Santa Cruz, Irvine, Davis, Riverside and Santa Barbara campuses.
For the past 15 months, lecturers throughout the UC System have been working for higher wages, better job security and equal treatment. Lecturers teaching in the UC System are not given access to grants or allowed to be department heads.
“We expect normal operations [today],” said Paul Schwarz, communication director for the UC System. “We hope to conclude talks at our next meeting Oct. 21. We’re doing everything we can; we need the union to do their part.”
Fred Glass, communications director for the California Federation of Teachers, said the lecturers were obligated to strike.
“These were unfair labor practice strikes. If an employer has been found to violate labor agreements, then the employees may strike,” Glass said. “Due to the continuous unfair labor practices at UC, striking was the only way to get the message out. Bargaining has gotten us nowhere.”
UC lecturers teach 25 to 30 percent of all UC classes and make up approximately 12 percent of the total system faculty. At many colleges and universities, lecturers are strictly part-time. The UC System offers lecturers long-term or short-term work; long-time lecturers are offered renewable three-year contracts, regardless of whether they are part- or full-time.
The rehiring contract of the UC System is one of many issues Glass said forced lecturers to strike.
“The UC administration is blatantly ignoring the current contract involving rehiring,” Glass said. “The normal contract employs a lecturer for six years, and then a review of the term takes place. If you are found to be in good standing, then you are supposed to be offered a three-year extension. These lecturers have only been offered a one-year extension. That’s the kind of job security they are getting.”
Akron University defines a lecturer as “full-time non-tenure track faculty with a primary responsibility for teaching and a secondary responsibility for academic unit participation. . . . Persons in these positions are not eligible for consideration for tenure.”
Monica Theis, a food science lecturer at the University of Wisconsin, said the distinguishing factor between a lecturer and professor at UW is research.
“Here on campus, [professor and lecturer] titles are defined by policies,” Theis said. “In my words, a lecturer is a position where the vast majority of the work deals with instruction versus research and extension with a professor.”
The UC System maintains it cannot offer lecturers increased compensation because the system is cash-strapped due to the state’s budget deficit.
The first lecturer strike occurred at UC-Davis two years ago. In August of last year, lecturers and clerical workers participated in a system-wide strike vote. The result was an 88 percent margin in favor of striking if UC did not provide sufficient compensation.
A two-day strike resulted; classes at the five participating campuses were subsequently cancelled.
“We regret the union’s decision to ask our employees to consider participating in this type of action,” said UC System president Richard Atkinson in a press release. “We have made significant compromises throughout negotiations with both unions, but of course, contract settlement requires compromise from both parties, not just the university.”
