The [UCI] Department of History stands in solidarity with graduate student workers at UCI as they strike for a fair contract. The department supports all instructors who withhold submitting final student grades should the strike continue till the end of the fall quarter.
(November 28, 2022)
The History Department faculty stands in solidarity with the graduate students in their pursuit of a contract that includes a substantial increase in salaries to bring them out of rent burden. Our support is based on the recognition of graduate students as foundational to the Department’s research and teaching mission. Structural inequalities are undermining the public mission of the University of California and a fair contract for graduate students is a step towards addressing these.
We call on the UC administration to negotiate in good faith with the unions representing graduate students. As required by law, as a department we will not penalize graduate students in any way for engaging in this strike nor will we endorse any disciplinary measures directed at graduate students who have participated in the strike. In addition, we will be following the progress of negotiations and will be prepared to consider additional actions. These include but are not limited to communicating with undergraduates about the strike, withholding grades or canceling classes.
We will keep channels of communication open with all graduate students regardless of their involvement and participation in the strike.
(November 14, 2022)