Grad student strike closes UC-Santa Cruz

From the Santa Cruz Sentinel: Demonstrations in support of striking graduate students at UC Santa Cruz essentially ground the campus to a halt Thursday. Classes were canceled all day on the main campus as demonstrators blocked roadways near both entrances early Thursday morning, according to campus updates posted throughout the day. On-campus transportation was halted “until further notice,” according to the updates.

UCSC’s libraries, bookstore, student-health center and most dining services were also closed, with other services operating on a limited basis due to staff’s inability to access most of the campus.Pro-strike demonstrators reportedly rallied across the UC system Thursday as graduate students and supporters called for fired UCSC teaching assistants to be reinstated — and doubled-down on their demands for a raise. “Faculty, students, and staff should not come to the residential campus, given that access is significantly impacted at this time, with both entrances of the residential campus remain blocked by unsanctioned strike activity,” a Thursday morning campus advisory stated...

Asked about Thursday’s demonstrations, the UC Office of the President shared a statement reiterating its stance that the strikers’ actions are in violation of the UC’s contract with the UAW 2865 union and are “unfairly harming UC’s undergraduate students.”...

Full story at https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2020/03/05/ucsc-cancels-classes-shutters-services-as-demonstrators-block-roadways/