A strike is a concerted, coordinated work stoppage or slowdown. It might be a refusal to teach classes and perform other work that lasts for a predetermined number of days or for an indefinite length of time. A strike is one of our most powerful tactics to win a fair contract, especially when management is refusing to meet reasonable expectations during negotiations. Strikes help persuade management to address long-standing inequities in pay and/or working conditions.

The results of a successful strike can be profound and transformative, as we have seen recently in Philly with strikes by the Temple grad workers with TUGSA, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Union.

The decision to strike is a democratic one. UArts Faculty Union members will vote starting February 5th on whether to approve a strike. This approval is then brought to the United Academics of Philadelphia Executive Board, who will vote to authorize a strike. Once a strike is authorized, the UArts Faculty Bargaining Team will decide when and whether to call for a strike based on their firsthand experience in negotiations with UArts administrators.

Put simply, to demonstrate – in coordination with one another – that we are essential to the functioning of the university and that our work happens only with our consent. By withdrawing our labor, we show management and the public that the university cannot function without our teaching or service, and that we have the right to decide together to stop work and demand improvements to our university. Since we won our union in November 2020, we have been fighting for a better UArts for all faculty and students through sustainable pay and benefits and basic protections for faculty. A strike vote and a strike, if necessary, will support these goals. We all deserve to work in an environment that respects our right to pay equity, wage increases, and fair treatment—an environment that affords us the opportunity to be excellent teachers and creatives.

In general, universities have not withheld pay during higher ed strikes. They have a difficult time determining when and whether individual faculty members are striking. If the administration does try and dock our pay, UAP will use its Strike Fund to help support members’ essential needs. The Strike Fund cannot fully replace lost pay, but will be available to striking members in financial need, or to help keep striking union members on the picket line. Information on accessing the Strike Fund will be released to all members after the start of any strike.

Live/synchronous teaching a UArts course in a classroom, studio, on Zoom or online, or in any other space.

Asynchronous teaching online (by unpublishing unused modules on Canvas, for instance).

Issuing tests, exams, or other assignments for the purpose of assessment .

Grading or submitting any grades through Canvas, posting new modules, or using Canvas or any other UArts software for any reason beyond communicating with students about the status of the strike. If you have already populated your modules on Canvas for the full semester, we recommend keeping classes that occur after the strike begins unpublished.

Conducting office hours

Teaching another instructor’s course or grading their students’ assignments.

Holding or attending UArts events or conferences on campus, off campus, or online.

Attending meetings related to UArts administrative work, teaching, and official duties.

Filing UArts reports and completing university compliance and professional training requirements.

If there are questions about specific cases or kinds of work, members should email unitedacademicsphilly@gmail.com for guidance. During a strike, union members should cease all UArts work and join picket lines. As higher ed workers, the measure of our power lies in our capacity to mobilize members to collectively and visibly withhold our labor to win the best contract. We have overwhelming support on campus: We may have to show it in the event of a strike.

We recognize that stopping certain, specific types of work could create difficulties for some faculty members or students, which is not the goal of any labor action. A strike must prevent all non-essential labor that benefits the university directly, but the following work is acceptable as long as there is a truly urgent deadline:

Writing, submitting, or editing a research article, dissertation, or thesis for submission outside the university.

Writing letters of recommendation for students or co-workers.

Writing and filing essential reports with non-UArts institutions.

Fulfilling duties and obligations to non-UArts professional organizations.

Attending conferences that members have already committed to participating in. If you attend a conference during a strike, email unitedacademicsphilly@gmail.com to find out how to support our fight while attending.

Being on strike is a big job!

Everyone is working together to achieve a better contract and to get back to work as soon as possible. The more all members are involved, and the more we commit fully to the strike, the shorter the strike will be. It is important to note that when one is on strike, one is working on the picket line and helping with preparations and support in order to make the strike successful. We all care very deeply about the quality of education at UArts, and our decision to withhold our labor from teaching and non-essential service work is not something anyone should take for granted. By showing up on the picket line, we are redirecting our labor to the strike to ensure that we have the best chance of winning a contract that will protect us – and our students! – in the long run.

Picketing code of conduct

DO:

Treat colleagues, students, and staff on the line with respect.

Dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

Engage positively with passers-by.

DO NOT:

Physically block entrances, exits, or driveways.

Engage in confrontational or aggressive behavior of any kind.

Time on the picket lines is a place to come together in solidarity. Chants, songs, and games are all ways that picketers can enjoy each other’s company and fill the day. We highly encourage musicians of all skill levels to bring their instruments to the picket line. We welcome you to organize other picket-line activities; ideas might include dog days (bring your picket pup!), kids’ activities during after-school hours, and other creative & supportive efforts.

We don’t expect it to happen, but there is always risk when taking any job action. UAP will vigorously defend any member who feels they have been retaliated against because of their union activity. Our solidarity, and our unanimity in action, is our best defense.

Every person in the United States, including any international scholar, has the right to join, organize, and support a union under the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of association. This includes activities such as picketing, rallies, leafleting, and other forms of free association and expression. Retaliation against a person by an employer for joining or organizing a union is illegal.

Our union will not ask vulnerable faculty to be in harm’s way, particularly faculty who are here on visas. If our union leadership should call a strike, we will ensure that you are able to make a fully informed decision about your level of participation. We will defend all faculty who either participate in or support a strike.

We will ask all employees to support our efforts in order to maximize our impact. This includes departmental support staff, parcel delivery, and every worker who normally comprises the workflow of our campuses. However, UArts Staff Union members do not have the same protections that Faculty Union members do in the case of a strike. If Staff Union members are told to replace our labor in the classroom, there could be repercussions if they refuse. UArts staff will be encouraged to support our strike in ways that do not put their positions at risk. UArts Staff can learn more here.

Our working conditions are students’ learning conditions. Strikes are impactful because they are disruptive, and disruption inevitably causes short-term inconvenience. But the harm to students from not striking may be far greater than short-term inconvenience. Many students are organizing already to support our contract demands because they know those demands are for the good of the entire UArts community. We are fighting to reduce precarity among the 85% of UArts faculty who are adjuncts. Students will benefit from knowing if and when their teachers will return, and that their teachers are making more than poverty wages in exchange for their work. Pushing back against the corporate university and defending higher education is an important teachable moment for our students – many of whom are or will be working in industries with organized labor unions. Read more here about how to discuss a strike with your students.

The UArts administration can refuse to pay us for the days we’re on strike. To counteract this, we will launch a Strike Fund. As always, we will fight to protect union members using all means available to us.

We encourage you to review possible strike-breaking tactics that the administration may use:

Strike-breaking tactics—what might happen:

Threats of reprisals, such as discharge; non-reappointment; cancellation of health insurance or promotion; and loss of leaves, sabbaticals, or special favors.

Requiring employees to certify that they are working or on strike—these requests from management should be ignored.

Complaints that students – especially graduating seniors – are being irreparably harmed by the strike.

Lies to the effect that a certain “group” of faculty is going back to work tomorrow.

Slander against UAP leaders and against the integrity of the Union itself. The UAP board is composed of members elected by workers in each bargaining unit – including UArts!

Slander against fellow strikers aimed at causing dissension.

Accusations of violence or intimidation on the part of strikers.

Defeatism to the effect that the strike cannot be won, is failing, or isn’t worth the effort.

False and misleading accounts in the media or online that are aimed at undermining the strikers’ determination and/or attempting to raise false hopes that might begin a back-to-work movement that has not been authorized by a vote of the general membership.

Offering extra pay to one group to “scab” or substitute for striking workers, such as offering extra pay to adjunct faculty not currently teaching this semester, to cover for striking faculty. This undermines the strength of the strike!

A successful strike at UArts would win our demands for salary agreements that represent real raises for all faculty. The goal of a strike is to shut down the UArts campus to make our demands known, heard, and acknowledged by management in negotiations. Our demands are achievable, but we need to show management that we are willing to shut down the university – that’s how important a fair contract is.

There are six stages to a potential strike at UArts:

1) Strike approval vote by union members;

2) Strike authorization by the UAP Executive Board;

3) Work stoppage called for by the UArts Bargaining Team;

4) Eventual tentative agreement on a first contract between our Bargaining Team and UArts management, including information from the Bargaining Team on the content of the agreement and a recommendation that members approve or reject;

5) A ratification vote to approve (or reject) the contract by union members; and

6) A return to work – and a celebration of a successful strike.

Here are more details of those stages:

Strike Approval Vote & Strike Authorization: The strike approval vote and the notification of Intent to Strike do not initiate a strike or make a strike inevitable. They are both steps to demonstrate that we as a union are fully prepared to take this step and to let the UArts administration know that as well. The Bargaining Team will work closely with the Organizing Committee and UAP leaders to determine if and when to call any strike.

Stoppage of Work: This is the actual strike itself, in which instruction and non-essential job duties must cease in order for the strike to be effective—as detailed elsewhere here. The strike’s power will then produce a:

Tentative Agreement (TA): The next iteration of the union contract which both the union’s Bargaining Team and management-side negotiators have voted to approve and send to members for a vote. This can often happen quite quickly and as a product of round-the-clock negotiations. The TA is then subject to the membership’s:

Ratification: Union members then vote yes or no on the TA to approve or reject the contract, with a majority vote threshold. If the contract is approved, it goes into effect retroactive to January 1, 2024. If it is rejected, the two bargaining teams return to the table until another TA is reached and the membership votes again. A possible strike concludes with a:

Return to work and celebration: Union members will now return to work and back to their job duties, including teaching and service work. We will also celebrate what we win together! (Note that the Bargaining Team and UAP Executive Board may ask members to return to work before ratification is completed in some circumstances.)