COLA Agitation Committee

Our interview with @viewpointmag. We discuss the long arc of the #UCSC wildcat strike, the prospects for rank and file struggle in higher ed, as well as their relationship to the expanding working class militancy we're witnessing today. viewpointmag.com/2020/05/27/rec…

The fight against rent burden is at once a labor struggle and a tenant struggle. As grads dispersed, fleeing the coastal rent burden, bracing for job losses, higher bills, and family tragedies, the work of RAFA and organization did not stop in UC housing. rafa-uc.com/2021/04/spread…

The tactic of grade withholding should loom large in strategic discussions. Under the right conditions, this may be the most efficient way to exploit the chokepoint that casual and underpaid academic labor represents in many university business models. jadaliyya.com/Details/41578/…

We're at nearly 2000 signatures barely 2 days after the ludicrous rent increases were announced, and almost 500 residents have pledged to withhold rent if our demand for affordable housing is not met. Join our number!

We're going on strike. 1/

During a bargaining session with the @GWCUAW yesterday, Columbia threatened to set up an entire website for students to self-report whether they’re working through the strike.

Thank you to our undergraduate students who have set up a hardship fund in support of our strike. Please consider donating. #CUonStrike #CUContractNow gofundme.com/f/solidarity-w…

Finding some incredibly useful inspo from the other RAFA @uc_rankandfile viewpointmag.com/2021/01/26/how… #CUNYstrikeready

Victory! UCSC administration ruled to overturn Carlos Cruz’ suspension! Instead, he will face conduct probation, but still be able to study and work at UCSC. This is a massive victory but the fight is far from over. Read an open letter from Carlos here: drive.google.com/file/d/1V2MB4A…

"Police officers monitoring dormitory halls, frequent inspections of ID cards — these are among the measures being implemented in a dorm lockdown....Another new measure also in place: a ban on solitary outdoor exercise." sfgate.com/education/arti…

If you're working from home, the boss has offset major utility expenses onto you. But most aren't only workers—they're tenants too. While the boss forces higher utilities onto us, landlords don't fix basic utilities like heat. From boss to landlord, we're attacked from all sides!

"UCOP’s response to was suggestive: because graduate workers are “saving” money on things like transportation, they told us, the ultimate cost of utilities is negligible. In fact, they argued, we may even be netting more money off of the new deal." rafa-uc.com/2021/02/utilit…

“They thought they were going to get away with doing their soil samples,” Bates said, referring to UC Berkeley. “We’re saying, ‘No, you cannot get away with it. This is going to be more costly than you know.’” berkeleyside.com/2021/01/30/pro…

ICYMI this is a really valuable piece that deals with some of the incredibly tedious, behind-the-scenes work without which long-term militant action can't sustain itself. the strike fund is infrastructure that makes the wildcat possible. viewpointmag.com/2021/01/26/how…

"Some weeks after our strike concluded, I realized that the total amount that our fundraiser pulled in ($281,614.80 after WePay fees) was just a few thousand dollars shy of the monumental $300,000 that UCSC spent per day to police our picket line." viewpointmag.com/2021/01/26/how…

Jane Komori provides a practical guide on running a wildcat strike fund, based on lessons from the COLA strike at UC-Santa Cruz. viewpointmag.com/2021/01/26/how…

Chicago Teachers Union votes to refuse in-person work, defy Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plan - Chicago Sun-Times chicago.suntimes.com/education/2021…

Sabrina's suing the cops that beat her up at UCSC's picket (now almost a year ago) – story here lookout.co/santacruz/educ…