UCSB teaching assistants graded papers outdoors Tuesday, spreading stacks of essays and other materials across tables located in a central section of campus to draw attention to their call for new working conditions.
 Teaching Assistant Andrea Gill was hopeful that students like herself see changes. Photo by Tom Schultz / SBN
The action targeted ongoing contract negotiations between the University of California system and its academic student employees — teaching assistants, tutors and readers represented statewide by the United Auto Workers. Several said they normally grade papers on their own at home.
"We're trying to bring it out of the shadows," said Daraka Larimore-Hall, UCSB unit chair for UAW Local 2865, which represents more than 11,000 teaching assistants, tutors and readers at the nine UC undergraduate campuses. UCSB has about 1,200 of the workers during any given quarter, he said.
Union leaders at UCSB focused Tuesday on what they described as key issues on the table. In particular, their concerns center on how they are impacted by increased enrollments and whether the employees, a group largely comprised of graduate students, should have a say in determining class sizes.
 Tuesday's event comes amid ongoing contract negotiations between the University of California system and its so-called academic student employees — teaching assistants, tutors and readers represented statewide by the United Auto Workers. Photo by Tom Schultz / SBN
A university spokeswoman on Tuesday said system officials intend to bargain in good faith and craft a new contract before the current agreement with the assistants expires on Sept. 30.
"We look forward to continuing discussions and working with the UAW on these issues," spokeswoman Nicole Savickas said, later releasing a document that further described the current UC position.
"UC believes that the workload resolution process currently in place works well," the half-page statement said. "The University is attentive to concerns regarding class size, and maintains that it is the responsibility of UC faculty members to insure the quality of their classes.
"The current contract allows a maximum work load of 220 hours each quarter for teaching assistants," the statement continued. "The University understands that this limit is important to ensure that teaching assistants have enough time to devote to their own studies, and UC is proposing no change to this maximum."
Lynnea Dally, an undergraduate biochemistry major who works as a reader, said at the event that student employees sometimes downplay their hours to fit that agreed-upon maximum.
Susie Keller, studying for a doctorate in American literature, said she's happy to work as a teaching assistant, but worries too much heavy lifting could cause her to shortchange the undergraduates she is charged with helping to learn.
A union press release painted a similar picture: "Over the past decade, the University of California has steadily increased enrollment by more than ten thousand students statewide. As a result, many class and section sizes have ballooned."
The union statement added: "In one example, the UC's own Committee on Preparatory Education has argued that writing classes are often 10 percent to 25 percent larger than the national standard. Education experts are in wide agreement that larger classes have a negative effect on the quality of education."
Andrea Gill, a UCSB history student working toward a doctorate, said she was wary of UC stalling during negotiations. She also remained hopeful that students like herself might get a pay increase.
A teaching assistant makes about $15,000 a year if they work three quarters. Tutors and readers earn less.
"It's been dragging on," Gill said. "I definitely would like to see . . . pay increases, especially to keep pace with the cost of living and tuition."
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