Although teaching assistants at the University of California at Berkeley yesterday called the first day of their strike for collective bargaining rights a success, Berkeley administrators disagreed.
Lily Khadjavi, president of Berkeley's Association of Graduate Student Employees, estimated the strike canceled about two-thirds of classes and affected thousands of students.
"I'm very excited by what we saw today," Khadjavi said. "I'm sad that it came to this but I'm also excited that people are worried about how conditions are determined at the university and are out on the picket lines to demonstrate that."
Berkeley is the third of the California state schools at which TAs have organized a strike protesting the university's refusal to recognize their collective bargaining rights.
Khadjavi said teaching assistants were successful in forming picket lines around campus buildings and solicited more than 1,000 signatures on petitions. Members of AGSE, the United Auto Workers and others spoke at an hour-long campus rally held at noon.
Joseph Duggan, associate dean of the graduate division at Berkeley, said many classes may have met off campus and estimated that only 1 to 2 percent of classes were cancelled as a result of the strike.
"As far as I'm concerned, the intellectual work of the university is still going on and that's what's important," Duggan said.
Deborah Herrington, manager of labor relations for Berkeley, estimated there were a maximum of 100 people picketing.
"We're not seeing that much effect at this point in time," Herrington said. "Business is occurring on campus as usual."
Khadjavi called the 1 to 2 percent estimate "absurd," and said it was "not business as usual to have a picket on campus."
Duggan said the strike has not changed the stance of the administration on granting teaching assistants collective bargaining rights.
"We're not going to recognize graduate student instructors representing our institution for collective bargaining rights, no question," Duggan said.
Sue Sierra, a University graduate student instructor in math, said a strike would have a serious effect on classes at any university.
"The contact hours with undergraduates are even higher at Berkeley, so I'd expect (the strike) to be quite effective."
After her third day of striking, UCLA graduate student Joanna Brooks said yesterday members of Los Angeles' Student Association of Graduate Employees have strengthened this week. Brooks said she expects to see almost 1,000 workers serve time in the picket lines by the end of the week.
"The students we speak to are supportive," Brooks said. "They understand that their learning conditions are our working conditions."
Joel Beeson, Association of Student Employees student organizer at University of California at San Diego, said the organization is really feeling "buoyed" by support for the strike, including letters from the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the University's Graduate Employees Organization.
"Even if it hasn't shut down the university it has caused a lot of students to discuss the issue in their classes," Beeson said.
Berkeley sophomore Shin-Wha Whang said she doesn't think students are taking the strike seriously.
"I think that everyone wants the teaching assistants to be happy but will always put their own initiatives first," Whang said. "I support them, but my grades and school work are always first."
Sierra said she thought the Berkeley strike would go quite well, judging by student unions' successes on the other California campuses.
"They're really committed to this and want what we've had here at Michigan for 22 years," Sierra said. "I think they're perfectly capable of doing that."