This is the second in a series of FAQ’s about the UAW strike. The first set of FAQs is available here. After publishing the FAQ’s below, we had more questions about grading which we answered in our third FAQ.

Q1: I am teaching a class with assignments that are ungraded due to the strike.  Do I need to volunteer to do the grading?

A: No. Under HEERA, faculty do not need to volunteer to perform struck work that is outside our customary duties. The longstanding practice for courses with assigned ASEs is for them to grade course assignments, proctor exams, and maintain the records of student grades.  This is routinely documented in their Description of Duties.

If you are asked to do this grading, you may respond by declining the extra work and communicating that you do not wish to volunteer to take up the struck labor. If it is unclear if the message is a suggestion or a directive, you can and should ask if you are REQUIRED to do this work. If your department chair or Dean insists that you must perform the additional struck work, you have the right under HEERA to refuse. If you do not feel comfortable doing so, you can state that you are performing the work under protest. You should document all new duties, dates, and time required to perform the work, any agreement on mitigation of the increase in work, how you will be compensated for this increased work, and any objections you have, including your physical and mental ability to complete the work. A template response for this email can be found here.  Additionally, you can cc info@cucfa.org or contact your campus Faculty Association and we can facilitate communication with the appropriate Academic Senate committee or office on your campus.

Q2: I am teaching a class with assignments that are ungraded due to the strike. Should I just grade students based on their previously graded assignments or assign all students an A?

A:  No. In this situation, issuing grades based only on some assignments or without necessary input from ASEs would not be fair to students. For example, it is impossible for instructors to grade students for participation in ASE-led sections when the instructors did not observe those sections. Furthermore, it would disadvantage some students to arbitrarily discard the section participation part of the course grade. Giving all students A’s, Incompletes, or NG’s might appear to be a more equitable solution, but it would be taking up struck labor and undermining the impact of the strike. Performing struck labor undermines faculty welfare, as it requires that we give up our own legal protections and implausibly suggests to both students and the administration that we can continue to do our jobs without the labor of striking workers. If you intend not to pick up struck work and thus will be unable to submit grades, please contribute to CUCFA’s tally of expected delayed grades.

Q3: I have ASEs who I expected to do the grading. Can the university discipline me for not providing grades in these courses?

A: HEERA protects the rights of faculty to choose not to volunteer to perform struck work that is not normally part of their required duties, as we said above. The University would be wrong to discipline faculty in this instance.  The Faculty Code of Conduct also acknowledges that some circumstances may excuse a delay in grading when it names “undue and unexcused delay in evaluating student work” as unacceptable conduct (APM-015.II.A.1e). Any disciplinary action would also have to go through appropriate Senate channels, which act as an oversight and a brake on arbitrary disciplinary actions for Senate faculty.

Q4: I have been teaching my classes so far, but would like to start honoring the picket and withhold my labor during finals week and/or the grading period.  Is this allowed?

A: Yes. You may decide to start honoring the picket at any time during the UAW’s strike.  This is true whether you are teaching courses with or without ASEs and applies to both undergraduate and graduate courses.

Q5: I have been respecting the picket up to this point. Do I have to do anything differently now that we are approaching finals week and grade submission?

A: No. If you have been respecting the picket and withholding your labor, you do not have any obligation to return to work simply because it is the end of the quarter/semester and grades are due.  You may continue to respect the picket and withhold your labor, including grading and grade submission. If you are withholding your own grading labor, please contribute to CUCFA’s tally of expected delayed grades.

Q6: Won’t the withholding of grades harm our undergraduate students?

A: Submitting grades without a complete understanding of undergraduate students’ work would do a great deal of harm to them. Our undergraduate students are better off with the participation of ASEs in their grading. In the long run, all of our undergraduates also benefit from having ASEs who can afford to live in the places where they work.

It is the responsibility of the UC administration to resolve the strike through good faith bargaining. Short of that, it is each campus administration’s responsibility to work with the necessary units on each campus (Financial Aid, Registrar’s Office, etc.) to ensure that undergraduate students are not harmed by the missing grades.

These missing/withheld grades will be submitted once the strike is over.

Q7: What should I do if I feel intimidated by administrative statements pressuring me to submit grades?

A: The best defense against intimidation is knowledge of your rights. And importantly, CUCFA, and your local Faculty Association, is here for you. Please contact us if you or your colleagues feel intimidated.

— go on to the continuation of these FAQ’s about grading during the UAW strike —