A UC-wide Strike University is underway, with virtual trainings, teach-ins, and COLA office hours. Please check out the calendar, and contact us if you want to get involved planning events for Strike University.
Upcoming Union Elections
UAW will be holding an online election for vacant positions. A secure online ballot will be sent out on Thursday, April 2, and voting will close at 11:59pm on Friday, April 3. If you do not currently receive email updates from UAW, you have probably unsubscribed from their mailing list and must fill out this ballot request form. If you are unsure if you receive their emails, you can check by searching for their most recent email, “Working in coalition to combat COVID-19 threat,” sent on March 25th, 2020.
The contested positions in this election are for UAW Sergeant-at-arms (a statewide position) and Head Stewards (for UCSB).
For Sergeant-at-arms, we endorse the Sarah Manski.
All of six of the candidates running for four Head Steward vacancies at UCSB are COLA supporters or organizers.
How to Support COLA
Read this fabulous article – The Balance of Power has Already Changed: Why the UC grad student strike is exactly the kind of new militancy we need at this moment… and why we should support it.
See our action list for additional information!
Grads:
See our Grade Withholding FAQ and How-To Strike Page. If you are a TA, use this email template to inform your students that you are withholding grades.
Take our COLA Survey, submit anonymous testimonials here, talk to your colleagues about COLA and encourage them to come to our events. Add your rent burden as a line in your email signature, like this: “Rent Burden: ____% (what’s this?)”. Set up an “out of office” automatic email reply, like this one. Contact us if you would like to get more directly involved in organizing.
Undergrads:
Check our grade request chart to see if your circumstance requires a grade immediately. If not, email your TA and professor that you would like your grade withheld using our template.
Fill out this undergrad support petition. Submit anonymous undergrad testimonials here. Tell your friends about COLA. Follow and share our posts on social media. Please consider donating to our strike fund if you can. Contact us if you would like to get more directly involved in organizing.
Faculty:
See our Faculty COLA Info guide for specific suggestions. Read our call-to-action letter to faculty here. Sign the faculty petition and non-retaliation pledge. If you have TAs, communicate to them that you support the strike and will support them in whatever striking decision they make (many TAs want to withhold grades, but are nervous that their professor will retaliate). Talk to others about COLA. Follow and share us on social media. Please consider donating to our strike fund if you can. Contact us if you would like to get more directly involved in organizing.
Staff:
Talk to others about COLA, follow and share us on social media. Come to our meetings to share your thoughts and let us know how we can best support you during this strike! Please consider donating to our strike fund if you can. Contact us if you would like to get more directly involved in organizing.
Alumni:
Sign this alumni support petition (made by a fellow alum and passed along to us). Call administrators at UCSC and UC Office of the President and tell them that TA firings are unacceptable and that you support the COLA movement. Email UCSB & UC Office of the President administrators and politicians using our email templates (you can adapt our parent template to contact admin). Please consider donating to our strike fund if you can.
Photos: left @photosbybolden, right @tblucsb
Quick Links
UCSB4COLA Documents
Looking for more information? The folder below contains documents and flyers pertaining to our efforts for COLA. #spreadthestrike
UCSC’s Rent Burden Calculator
Check out UCSC’s handy rent burden calculator! Remember that if 30 percent or more of your income goes to rent, you are rent burdened, and if 50 percent of your income goes to rent, you are extremely rent burdened, according to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Events
Make sure to check out our calendar with upcoming events!