"Money for Jobs and Education, Not for War and Occupation": The 2024 UAW 4811 Strike, Organizing for Palestine, and the Political Potential of Mass Unionism

The 2024 strike by academic workers, organized as United Auto Workers Local 4811, at the University of California represents a watershed moment in the history of American labor. This action represents the sole labor strike levied in response to crackdowns from institutions of higher education on the 2024 student encampments protesting the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Workers in UAW 4811 organized a mass strike in response to the UC’s violent repression of pro-Palestinian workers and students. This mass labor approach to organizing around pro-Palestinian speech and assembly differed starkly from more prevalent spontaneous forms of movement organization that emphasized more minoritarian tactics. One year after the University obtained a temporary restraining order halting the strike, we argue that the precedent set by workers at the UC presents a model for organizing successful mass actions around demands once deemed “too political” in an era of union politics defined by Taft-Hartley.