October 7th 2010- Nationwide Day of Action to Defend Public Education

The UCSB union coalition is sponsoring an event with music and food at the Student Resources Building.  We will have live acoustic acts, free hotdogs and drinks, and lots of information.  11:30 - 1:30PM

Save the Date-  Local 2141 Spring Social

PDF Call and Application for 2010-2011

The UC Santa Barbara Non-Senate Faculty Professional Development Fund is accepting applications for funding for professional development.  The deadline for completed applications is April 5, 2010.  To access the professional development call and instructions, click here.

Hug the Library:  April 30, 2009 Noon
Davidson Library

The library is both a symbol of education, knowledge and learning, and a physical space occupied and utilized by nearly all students, faculty and staff. We have chosen the library as our central symbol representing our shared experience teaching, learning, and working at UC. Our hug of the library is symbolic of the need for UC to reprioritize funding for its education mission.

Students, lecturers, librarians, faculty, and staff will stage a symbolic protest of student fee increases, cuts to courses, layoff of lecturers and staff, and the chronic underfunding of undergraduate education at the University of California. A group hug of the library will represent the urgent need for UC to shift funds back to its education mission.

Here are 10 reasons why we need to "Hug the Library" on April 30th:

1. Student fees have increased nearly 70% since 2003, with further increases expected this week.

2. Over 60% of instruction is done by non-tenure track Lecturers and TAs who are funded by temporary money, and whose courses are now being cut.

3. When Lecturers and TAs lose classes, students lose classes and it becomes harder to graduate on time, and could jeopardize financial aid. 

4. UC Libraries are chronically underfunded, with no budgets to support new graduate programs, very limited funds for new collections purchases, and numerous vacant librarian positions due to low salaries, all of which is leading to lower national rankings for UC libraries, and lower quality of service in the library.

5. UC has 5.3 billion in unrestricted funds that could be directed toward undergraduate education, instruction, and student support services.

6. UC has a bloated administration which should take reductions before low wage workers do, and before students are asked to borrow more for their education.

7. The current two year 450 million dollar deficit is merely one percent of UC's total operating budget over two years. 

8. The entire cut is being taken from education, while capitol projects and campus expansion continues.

9. UC is choosing cuts to education to pressure the State of California to increase funding levels...We are the pawns!

10. Hugs feel good!

We will be video taping short (1 minute) statements from any individual willing to talk about why they are Hugging the Library. The format for the video comments will be as follows, "Hi, my name is, I am a student/lecturer/professor/librarian/staff/etc, and I am hugging the library today because..."

Spread the word...invite your friends, teachers, TAs, students and colleagues. Also, give them the flyer, by downloading the PDF here.

(June 2008) AFSCME Strike Possible

You should be aware that AFSCME systemwide in the UC is taking a strike vote for a potential (and strong potential) for a strike this spring. If they decide to strike, the UC-AFT would like to support them to the maximum of our ability. As is the case with UC Librarians, AFSCME workers at UC are paid far below the market, and the University has not been at all responsive to AFSCME's reasonable attempts to address the inequity. For a more detailed rendering of what is at stake for AFSCME, and for a statement that you might share with your students, click here.

(June 2008) Spring membership drive

UC-AFT Local 2141 is beginning its Spring membership drive. Please take the time to fill out the membership form, which you can get by clicking here. If you are already a member, please encourage your colleagues to join. Mail the completed membership form to: Bill Quirk, UC-AFT Field Representative, Local 1990 UCLA, Local 2141 UCSB, P.O. Box 15030 UCSB, Santa Barbara Ca 93107.

(June 2008) New blog for UC composition lecturers

UC Riverside lecturer Stephanie Kay has proposed a new systemwide blog for UC lecturers teaching composition. Her idea was to create an opportunity for lecturers on all campuses to discuss the intersection between comp pedagogy and workload/working conditions. She wants to hear from lecturers who are struggling with high workloads in comp but also from those who feel their workloads are reasonable and manageable. Andrew Tonkovitch at UC Irvine has now created that blog and written the first entry, a reflection on the work he's now doing online and how that has increased his workload. Here's the URL: http://uc-comp.blogspot.com

(June 2008) Librarian contract ratification

In the ratification vote, librarian members of UC-AFT approved the tentative agreement with the University. The final tally of all ballots was 173 in favor of ratification and 15 opposed. Major accomplishments include preserving the peer review process and increases in Assistant and Associate level starting pay.

(August 2008) AFSCME Strike Wrap Up

The AFSCME strike came to a close at 4pm Friday afternoon. Energy levels remained high even as the workers were cleaning up and preparing to leave the picket lines. There was a great show of support for the workers throughout the five day strike. Librarian members of UC-AFT at UCSB collected $100 in personal contributions to buy lunch for people walking the picket lines on Thursday. With that money we were able to provide a case of water, soda and juice, and several pizzas. This was an exceptional effort by our librarians. Our Local executive board delivered sandwiches to the picket lines on Friday. AFSCME members and others out supporting the strikers were very appreciative of the support and happy to have the extra food. Thank you to all who contributed donations or time.

Please stay tuned to the struggle of these workers. They are mounting an historic effort within UC for equitable pay and respect at the bargaining table. While UC-AFT members aren’t struggling for a living wage in terms of rising above the poverty line, we are all too familiar with low pay and long fights with UC to improve our working conditions. We can’t view the AFSCME member’s struggle as independent from our own. We need to work together to elevate the status of all employees at UC.

Finally, the decision to walk off the job in protest of working conditions is an extremely difficult one. The risk is mostly individual, while potential gains will benefit all employees. Those AFSCME members who had the courage to join the strike embody the spirit and power of the union movement. Lieutenant Governor, John Garamendi, came to the picket line to congratulate the strikers for the respectful way they conducted themselves during the regents meeting. After months of being stonewalled at the negotiating table, after neutral fact finder’s reports have been ignored by UC, the worker’s respectful behavior during the strike deserves to be commended.