Proposed UC Faculty Walkout for 9/24

Dear Colleagues,

I just got this email. Not sure how I feel about this (I disagree with some of the statements here but sympathize with the feelings of many of the faculty)(UPDATE - I think this whole boycott/walkout concept is unclear and strange and will not participate in it --- ) but thought I would post it for people interested.

As you may have heard, there is a broad movement to defend the future of public education in California, to restore faculty's role in shared governance, and to protect the most vulnerable employees within the UC system. It has become increasingly clear that these goals require an immediate and firm rejection of the manner in which the administration has handled the budget crisis over the summer. Last week, a systemwide call went out for faculty to take action on September 24.

You can see and support this call, as of this morning, at ucfacultywalkout.com

With limited circulation, this call has already been signed by hundreds of faculty in the UC system.

• It has been fully endorsed by the National AAUP.
• In coordination with this action, UPTE — an employee-run union with 12,000 members in the UC system — has called a strike and picket on 9/24
• The Solidarity Alliance at UCBerkeley has called for a "Walk-Out and Teach-In" on 9/24
• Option 4 at UCSB has declared "A Day of Learning, Solidarity, and Protest on 9/24"
• Saving UCLA has called for "A Day of Action" on 9/24
• The Graduate Student Union Organizing Committee at UCB is distributing an open letter calling for all UC GSIs to honor picket lines on 9/24, as they are contractually entitled to do.

These are some examples of the efforts already well under way to stand in solidarity with students and staff in defense of public education.

The call for the 9/24 actions, available at the website, calls for three demands on behalf of the future of public education in California. These demands are meant to insist upon:

1) Protection for the most vulnerable employees in the UC system
2) Respect for democratic process of decision-making
3) Information for public access concerning the handling of the budget cuts

If you support these basic goals as necessities for the University to pursue its educational mission, please sign on to the call at

ucfacultywalkout.com

If you would like further information on a simple, easy-to-organize action and education plan authored by UC faculty, we're able to provide this. Just ask.

With thanks and admiration for your commitment to the UC system and its future,

UC Faculty Walkout organizers