Some additional thoughts from yours truly about the move to a mediation process for the UAW locals remaining on strike:
We don't know what went on at the Regents in closed session. But in open session in November, there was an odd discussion of whether UC could buy or build structures near campuses such as apartment houses and rent them at below-market rates to students using pension and endowment funds. The answer - not surprisingly - was that while UC could build or buy buildings anywhere as investments, it had to behave as a commercial landlord for fiduciary reasons. It could not offer below-market rents or make them available only to UC students. It could, of course, buy or build structures as capital projects and rent them only to students at below-market rates. But it would have to use other sources of funds, as it does - for example - for dorms.* It may be that some Regents were looking for a solution to the strike that would address the high cost of housing through subsidized rents. If so, that avenue for a settlement was closed off - at least as far as pension and endowment funding was concerned.
The Daily Cal noted that there was some internal disarray on bargaining strategy on the union side:
Tensions simmered following the University of California’s “final” offer on wages to UAW Local 2865 and SRU-UAW bargaining teams [December 2]. The offer came after UAW bargaining teams sent the university their package proposal Nov. 30 following approval by a slim majority vote. This UAW proposal included an $11,064 decrease in demanded annual wages from $54,084 to $43,020. “We’re asking for fairly transformative demands to meet core material realities for our workers,” said Mark Woodall, a UC Merced unit chair for UAW 2865, of the union’s original wage demands. “(The university) has to actually take these considerations seriously and offer us wages and working conditions in line with what we’re asking for.”
Woodall alleged that the union’s... proposal was brought forward in a rushed manner. Micah Pedrick, the UAW 2865 unit chair from UC Santa Barbara, said he was “dismayed” at the voting procedure. They noted that the proposal left bargaining teams unable to understand what they were voting on. Those who voted “yes” hoped that a large concession would motivate the university to offer compromises of their own, according to Woodall. Those who voted “no” believed the proposal was still inadequate. “There were no improvements at all from UC’s offer after we’ve made this $11,000 drop,” said Janna Haider, the recording secretary of the UAW 2865 unit at UC Santa Barbara. “The strategy didn’t work.” ...
Full story at https://dailycal.org/2022/12/07/the-strategy-didnt-work-uaw-2865-bargaining-team-divides-over-wages.
Again, there is no way of knowing, but it seems likely - given the strong vote to ratify the UAW 5810 contract, that the other locals had advance knowledge of the way the balloting was going before the official tally was announced. That would mean that the strike would end for postdocs and researchers on ratification. With the winter break coming up, the pressure for resolution coming from undergrads without grades, etc., would be temporarily reduced. There needed to be some new mechanism to find a deal.
On the UC side, from management's point of view, the Regents - including the ex officio political Regents - so far have been well behaved and have not said much about a settlement in public. Continued turmoil, however, could eventually lead to political intervention. Neither the governor nor other elected Democrats want to appear to be anti-union. Some Congressional Democrats - who have no direct involvement - have voiced concerns, so the clock is ticking before those officials with more direct authority over such matters as budgets step in. The settlement with Local 5810 bought some time for UC management, since it creates the impression that UC is not being inordinately obstinate and is willing to compromise.
In short, both sides may feel they need a way out. Both may feel that somehow a mediator will see things their way; UC seemed to feel that way early on in calling for mediation. From the union's perspective, the high cost of living in California is not in dispute and is easily documented. As we have noted, mediators don't take sides. But they can - particularly if the parties are coming to the point where they need a settlement but don't see a way to get there - reformat issues and suggest avenues for compromise. Sometimes, particularly thorny issues can be set aside - perhaps to be arbitrated or resolved later. Mediation is not a panacea. But it can be helpful.
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*See http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2022/11/watch-regents-afternoon-meeting-of-nov.html.
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