November 1983-- TAs at UC Berkeley form the Association of Graduate Student Employees (AGSE), and ask their administrators to begin bargaining. Their request is denied. AGSE files an unfair labor charge against UCB with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB).
April 1995-- UCB Administrators agree that acting instructors (kind of like teaching associates), readers, and tutors have a right to collective bargaining under the Higher Education Employer/Employee Relations Act (HEERA), but continues to deny collective bargaining to TAs and RAs.
February 1987-- An administrative law judge at PERB rules that TAs ans RAs have the right to collective bargaining under HEERA.
Spring 1987-- AGSE affiliates with the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (the UAW).
Fall 1988-- PERB confirms that AGSE/UAW membership has reached a majority od student academic employees, thus confirming AGSE/UAW's status as majority representative. UCB administrators refuses to bargain with AGSE/UAW.
April 1989-- Full PERB Board reverses the 1987 decision of one of its administrative law judges and rules that TAs and RAs do not have the right to collective bargaining. AGSE/UAW appeals the decision to the California State Court of Appeals.
May 1989-- Two thousand student academic employees strike for collective bargaining rights on May 4 and 5. Seventy-five percent of classes are cancelled. UCB administrators agree to discuss single issues with the Union, but still refuse full collective bargaining, a process through which all issues relating to employment would be discussed, and mutually agreeable policies would be placed in a binding contract.
August 1989-- AGSE/UAW and the Berkeley administration sign an agreement as to how they will relate to eachother pending resolution of Union's legal appeal. The agreement stipulates that parties will meet regularly and work in good faith toward amicable resolution of issues concerning working conditions of graduate student employees at UCB. UC agrees to payroll deduction of union dues, agrees to recognize AGSE/UAW as the sole bargaining agent for student academic employees in matters of employment, and gives in to AGSE/UAW's demands for health care benefits for all graduate student employees. Fearing organizing efforts on other campuses, the central administration began paying for graduate student employee health care benefits system-wide.
June 1990-- A majority of TAs and RAs at UC Santa Cruz form the Graduate Student Employees Association (GSEA/UAW). The disposition of bargaining rights for these employees is tied to the Berkeley case.
February 1990-- AGSE/UAW drafts proposals covering salary increases, fee waivers, class size,limits, and work load. UCB rejects written proposals.
March 1990-- UCB rejects the concept of bilateral written agreements with AGSE/UAW. AGSE/UAW membership votes for strike authorization.
April 1990-- UCB administrators agree to enforceable written agreements with AGSE/UAW confirming dues deduction and access to campus facilities, and agreeing to AGSE/UAW demands for dependent health care insurance, improved procedures to resolve work load problems, and clarified statements banning employment discrimmination.
May 1991-- UCB administrators agree to AGSE/UAW's demands for a waiver of the 36-percent fee increase to be imposed the following fall, for posting of all job openings, for departments to detail hiring procedures, and for a worker safety program. All agreements put into binding agreement letters negotiated by representatives from the Union and the University. Fearing union organizing on other campuses, UC administrators extend fee waivers system-wide.
Spring 1991-- A majority of TAs and RAs at UC San Diego form the Association of Student Employees(ASE)/UAW.
Spring 1992-- After discussions between AGSE/UAW and UCB administrators, UC agrees to pay non-resident tuition for non-resident and international graduate student research assistants.
May 1992-- The California State Court of Appeals upholds the PERB Board's ruling that TAs and RAs do not have the right to collective bargaining. AGSE/UAW appeals the decision.
July 1992-- UCB agrees to AGSE/UAW demand for waivers of the 1992/93 fee increase and extensions of campus escort hours to 2 a.m. Fee wiavers are again applied system-wide.
August 1992-- State Supremem Court refuses to hear AGSE/UAW's appeal for bargaining rights for TAs and RAs.
Sept.-Oct.1992-- UCB administrators threaten to break off agreement to discuss employment issues with AGSE/UAW. The Union calls for a strike authorization vote. The administration renews the agreement to recognize the Union and discuss employment issues with its representatives.
November 1992-- AGSE/UAW and UCB approaching agreement in negotiations when UC system-wide administrators order UC Berkeley administrators to break off contact with the Union. AGSE/UAW members go on strike on November 19. GSEA/UAW at UC Santa Cruz walks out on November 23. ASE/UAW at UC San Diego conducts informational picketing. Strikes continue unresolved throughout the fall.
Spring 1993-- AGSE/UAW wins a representation election for readers, tutors, and acting instructors with an 80-percent majority. UC Berkeley administrators are now legally required to negotiate a contract with the Union to set working conditions for these employees.
Spring 1993-- A majority of student academic employees at UC Davis form a Union. A majority of readers, tutors, and acting instructors at UC San Diego join ASE/UAW there. Organizing begins at UC Los Angeles and UC Santa Barbara.
Fall 1993-- Negotiations begin for readers, tutors, and acting instructos at UC Berkeley. ASE/UAW members at San Diego file a complaint against their administration for their refusal to bargain with readers, tutors, and teaching associates . UC administrators successfully argue that employment at UC San Diego is different from employment at UC Berkeley and that the status of collective bargaining rights for readers, tutors, and acting instructors must be retried for this campus.
Spring 1994-- PERB confirms that a majority of TAs, RAs, readers, tutors, and teaching associates at UCLA have joined the Student Association of Graduate Employees (SAGE)/UAW.
Fall 1994-- PERB confirms that a majority of some fifteen hundred TAs, RAs, readers, tutors, and teaching associates at UC Sanata Barbara have signed membership cards with the Associated Student Employees (ASE)/UAW. The ASE/UAW at UCSB has a membership of over 1,200. Union activists at UCSB write to Chancellor Henry Yang and ask for a meeting to discuss the extension of a collective bargaining agreement with the Union. Yang refuses to meet with ASE members to discuss the Union. The complaint filed against the UC at San Diego is amended to include a consideration of bargaining rights at UC Los Angeles, UC Davis, and UC Santa Barbara. PERB rules that it wil consider each campus separately.
Spring 1995-- PERB rules that in the cases of LA, Santa Barbara, and Davis all job categories will be relitigated.
Oct. 1995-- PERB Administrative Law Judge Jim Tamm rules that readers, tutors, and teaching associates at UC San Diego have the right to collective bargaining and that the disposition of bargaining rights for these job categories on other campuses will be determined finally in the complaint brought by the union at LA. UC appeals the decision about the San Diego employees.
Spring 1995-- SAGE/UAW at UCLA and ASE/UAW at UC San Diego hold two-day walk-outs. Their administrations continue to refuse to negotiate with the Unions.
Spring 1996-- Union members at UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC San Diego authorize strikes to be held in fall 1996, stipulating that the duration and form of these strikes will be determined at strike authorization meetings in the fall.
Summer 1996-- Administrative Law Judge Jim Tamm begins writing
his decision about bargaining rights at UCLA.
A Glossary
PERB: The Public Employment Relations Board, the state body that hears and rules on legal cases having to do with labor law. Initially, complaints are heard and decided by an administrative law judge, and then can be appealled to the full PERB Board.
HEERA: The Higher Education Employer/Employee Relations Act, the law governing collective bargaining rights for California public university and college employees. Under the act, management is only legally required to negotiate with student academic employees if these employees meet both of the following criteria:
Recognition: Another word for a collective bargaining agreement.
The idea of recognition stresses the fact that collective bargaining involves
an acknowledgement or recognition from management that the union s the
sole bargaiing agent for the employees it represents.
Voluntary Recognition: What we're asking for right now. This is where the administration recognizes the Union without PERB forcing them to. Even if we lose the court case, the administration can voluntarily recognize the Union.