Teachers from the Preuss Union were seen around campus on February 18th wearing stickers saying, “I voted” or “100%.” The stickers referred to the teachers, counselors, and librarians having held a strike authorization vote against the University of California San Diego. This vote resulted in a 100% approval to authorize a strike, under the circumstance that they have exhausted all possibilities of coming to an agreement on their 2024-25 contract. The Preuss Faculty has been negotiating their contract with UCSD since February of 2024.
“Sometimes it may seem like we are getting nowhere, so the vote of the union will authorize their negotiators to strike,” expresses Dr. Weber.
The protests and the strike authorization vote are tactics by the Preuss Union to draw attention and inform the community about how low wages affect the performance of teachers and students.
“More and more people are showing their support for the school,” affirms Dr. Weber.
Much of the support comes from students, parents, and alumni who demonstrate their support during Thursday morning protests, in hopes to inform others and receive more support.
Maedeh Rashidi (25’) states, “I think the strike should happen because our teachers deserve better pay because they do more than a regular San Diego Unified District teacher.” Rashidi adds, “teachers have to pay for parking, gas, and work extra hours along with extra school days.”
“On average we get paid 15-20% less than San Diego Unified Teachers,” confirms Ms. Nance.
If teachers go on strike they will not get paid for the time they are on strike.
The Preuss Union is made up of teachers, librarians, and counselors. The negotiating team is made up of Dr. Weber, Mrs. Garcia, Dr. Ensberg, Mr. Carr, Ms. Patrick, and Ms. Ackerman. They negotiate with UCSD’s team to bargain for a contract that establishes working conditions, including salary. Other teachers may sit and watch our teachers in action but they are not allowed to interact with the negotiations.
“None of us would really like to go on strike; we’d like to come to an agreement,” asserts Ms. Nance.
