The Highlander
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
For the week of Tuesday, March 4, 2025
VOL. 73, ISSUE 19
NEWS
est. 1954
OPINIONS
on “La Union Esta Presente” War DEI at the UC WORKERS STRIKE DEMANDING AN END TO UC LABOR PRACTICES.
Department of Education will hurt UCR
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON DEI WILL DISRUPT UCR’S MISSION AND CAMPUS CULTURE. THE EDITORIAL BOARD
PHOTOS COURTESY OF AFSCME LOCAL 3299
SARAH TABEL Contributing Writer
The University of California (UC) faced a system-wide strike last week led by service and patient care workers, represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 3299 (AFSCME 3299). The strike is motivated by what the union describes as unfair labor practices, restrictions on employee rights and unlawful access policies. AFSCME represents 37,000 UC workers across all UC locations, including UCSF. They argue that the UC is making unilateral changes to protest policies without proper union consultation, limiting their ability to advocate for better working conditions and wages. The UC has reportedly threatened to arrest workers for engaging in picketing and using amplified sound while protesting.
UC campuses have implemented various limitations, and Union workers have urged the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to intervene. UCSD has imposed limitations on leafleting and banned literature distribution inside buildings and parking areas regarding the union’s cause. UCSF now prohibits activities within 50 feet of building entrances. UCI Health requires approval for events near patient entrances in order to limit picketing activities and now requires a 10-day written request to use non-restricted areas. UCLA mandates scheduling a guarantor for large events and UCSF requires a security review by campus police, all in an effort to restrict union workers’ access
On Feb. 14, 2025, the United States (U.S.) Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter ordering K-12 schools and universities to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, including financial aid, dormitory floor communities and graduation ceremonies by the end of Feb. 2025, or risk not “receiving federal funding.” The letter, signed by Craig Trainor, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the Department of Education, states that using “race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life” violate federal anti-discrimination laws and the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which struck down affirmative action. In response to the letter, the University of California (UC) President Michael V. Drake released a statement saying that the UC system follows state antidiscrimination laws and that leadership is currently evaluating the “potential impact and implications of the letter.” Proposition 209, which passed in 1996, is California’s anti-discrimination law. It prohibits state institutions from discriminating or providing preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public education, employment and contracting. So far, no UC campus has shut down affinity groups, culturally themed dormitories, graduation ceremonies...
► SEE AFSCME LOCAL 3299 PAGE 4
► SEE DEI PAGE 7
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