You can donate to UCSD Academic Workers Legal Defense Fund here. Protest images from last week via the UAW 2865 Twitter.
Several weeks ago, UC San Diego Police arrested three student workers on felony charges of conspiracy and vandalism for writing messages in chalk and washable paint calling on UC to stop underpaying workers. A few new details have subsequently emerged that are worth talking about.
First, the big one: on Wednesday afternoon (July 19), UAW 2865's Twitter posted what appears to be a new search warrant against their union members, and claimed a member's house had just been searched the night before. This apparent warrant, image one, seeks, among other things:
Evidence of involvement in or creation of graffiti, tagging, or illegal "street art," including such items as chalk, etching tools or other sharp or pointed objects used to etch or scratch glass and other hard surfaces, and permanent marking pens, such as Magic Marker, Sharpie, etc.
Evidence of membership or affiliation with any university organization, paraphernalia to include any reference to "UAW" or "AFSCME" or any drawings, writings, objects, or graffiti depicting names, initials, logos, monikers, slogans, or mention of UAW or AFSCME membership or affiliation, activity, or identity, whether memorialized electronically, digitally (including the central processing unit/hard drive, floppy disk, CD-ROM, or another electric storage medium) or on paper in books, sketch pads, tablets, notebooks, and the like;
The search associated with said warrant would have come just a day before UAW 2865's Rally Against Retaliation—a protest at the UC San Francisco Rutter Center demanding the charges be dropped and UC implement the negotiated contract.
Secondly, and that same afternoon, UAW 2865 began providing evidence that the university previously gave permission to student protesters to allow chalking of surfaces like the ones that were chalked during the protest that led to arrests. UAW 2865's president, Rafael Jaime, stated on Twitter that "Labor Relations @UCSanDiego told workers back in December it was ok to chalk on buildings. On 6/30 the university had 3 workers arrested on felony charges of vandalism. Funny how things change when the boss wants to wriggle out of a union contract." He attached image two of this post, which reads:
SIO is fine with you all doing your chalking on the roads and granite/stone/brick surfaces. We simply want to protect the endangered wood that is on some of the buildings. Let me know if you want to chat about it. Thanks!
[REDACTED]
Human Resources, HR Strategy & Policy, University of California San Diego
Also fuck UC San Diego Police, that arrest and search warrant is blatant union busting.