Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where we have been tracking the growing threat of strikes from campus workers across the United States.
University Employees Strike Wave Begins Amid Campus Crackdowns
Across the United States, Palestinian justice protestors are occupying campuses and demanding that their universities divest from Israel.
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), the number of campus protests in favor of Palestine tripled last month. Now, university employee unions across the United States are beginning to strike.
Hundreds of employees at CUNY went on a May Day strike to protest crackdowns on protests on their campuses. Last week, faculty at the University of Texas went on an illegal strike in solidarity with Palestinian justice protestors.
At Dartmouth, UE members are striking over wages while showing solidarity with Palestinian protestors on campus. Their union has also called for the resignation of Dartmouth’s President over its arrests of over 90 Palestinian protestors.
Graduate employees at USC have filed NLRB unfair labor practice charges against the administration for their crackdown and are also threatening to strike.
Across town at UCLA, graduate employees are voting on whether to strike in protest over a crackdown on student protests on campus.
“Should the university decide to curtail the right to participate in protected, concerted activity; discriminate against union members or political viewpoints; and create or allow threats to members’ health and safety, among others, UAW 4811 members will take any and all actions necessary to enforce our rights,” the UAW 4811 Executive Board said in its statement.
For more, check out the Daily Bruin.
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NCAA May Have to Pay $2.7 Billion to Former Student Athletes
In order to settle a class-action antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA, a $2.7 billion settlement is being discussed. From ESPN:
Sources told ESPN this week that parties have proposed the NCAA’s national office — rather than its individual member schools or conferences — would pay for the settlement of past damages over a period of 10 years. The NCAA payments would be paid to former college athletes who say they were illegally prevented from making money by selling the rights to their name, image and likeness.
The settlement would come with a corresponding commitment from conferences and schools to share revenue with athletes moving forward, sources said. The settlement would establish a framework for power conferences to share revenue with their athletes in the future. Sources have told ESPN that schools are anticipating a ceiling of nearly $20 million per year for athlete revenue share moving forward. (That figure is derived from a formula that’s expected to be, per sources, 22% of a revenue metric that’s still being discussed, which is set to be based on various revenue buckets. It would be up to the schools to share that much.)
A Year Late, Striking Writers Guild Struggle to Find Work
Finally, a year after the Writers’ Guild strike, most former strikers say they struggle to find work. From Variety:
“There’s less things being made,'” said Justin Halpern, a WGA board member and co-showrunner of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.” “If you have been able to secure employment as a writer during this time of contraction, you are making a living wage. But the problem is, there’s not a lot being made right now.”
The contraction was already underway before the WGA went on strike, followed by SAG-AFTRA two months later. Production has resumed but remains below pre-strike levels, according to data released last month by FilmLA.
Strikes & News Happening Elsewhere
- Nearly 45,000 student workers at private colleges and universities have formed unions since 2022
- UAW warns of strike authorization vote at Stellantis Warren plant over safety concerns
- Metro Atlanta Uber and Lyft drivers plan strike, demand fair pay and protections
- Workers at KC domestic violence shelter seek help from politicians in push to form union
- New legislation will allow Maryland library workers to form unions
- Airbus ready to lock out Canadian workers if offer rejected
- Finally, workers at the Cannes Film Festival are threatening to go on strike this month
Alright folks, that’s all for today. We will have more next week. Keep sending tips, story ideas, comments, and complaints [email protected]
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Love & Solidarity,
Melk
