I’m Kyle, a rising third year in the department of Sociology and recently elected Lead Steward for Social Sciences and Psychology. I am writing to announce the passage of a critical resolution during this past week’s emergency Monthly Membership Meeting.
On Wednesday, May 15th, the Executive Board called an emergency Monthly Membership Meeting to discuss the recent failures of USC administration, following the Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge filed by our union on April 26th.
As a result, on Wednesday, May 22nd, members of UAW Local 872 voted on a resolution of “No Confidence” in President Carol Folt and Provost Andrew Guzman, with over 96% voting in favor. This is a resounding statement to administration that their violent actions in recent weeks and their refusal to engage with students’ desires for transparency and divestment have led to a complete loss of support among graduate student workers. As a result of the vote, this resolution is an official position of UAW Local 872.
The resolution, entitled “UAW Local 872 Resolution to Demand Accountability,” made the following demands:
- Drop the charges: Cease the criminal prosecution of members of the USC community, including members of our union, for exercising their right to protest
- Halt disciplinary proceedings: End the targeted suspension and academic punishment of the students engaged in just protest on campus
- End the militarization of campus: Reopen all campus entrances, halt bag checks, and allow protest on campus without summoning police to harm and remove members of our community
- No confidence: President Carol Folt and Provost Andrew Guzman, in the opinion of Local 872, are not fit to hold their respective offices and should resign
We officially call upon our faculty colleagues to reconvene and pass a similar vote of no confidence, following their vote to censure President Folt and Provost Guzman earlier this month.
On June 14th, we are hosting a rally at City Hall in support of student protestors, demanding that USC give amnesty to all protestors — RSVP here! We will continue to demand accountability from USC’s administration, our employer, for their violent and unjust actions in response to student protests against their profiting from genocide.
In solidarity,
Kyle