Leaving UCU and crossing picket lines

[BlackLambAndGreyFalcon]

I think the way that UCU has treated Kathleen Stock is completely abhorrent and I am going to resign as I no longer want to pay any more money to their organisation.

Leaving at this time would mean that I wouldn't take part in the upcoming strike ballot and in the likely event of any industrial action would therefore have to cross picket lines. How do others feel about this issue? I would feel very uncomfortable walking past colleagues on the picket lines and as a USS member I would benefit from any positive outcome which may occur (whether or not such a positive outcome does occur is another issue entirely) without taking part in the action.

I have no interest in joining another union. I only joined UCU back in 2016 because I was concerned about the cuts to the pension scheme. UCU is the only union recognised to negotiate about USS with the employers.

[Phphion]

They just emailed it to us. You can see all the results here: www.ucu.org.uk/USSreballot2022

[ghislaine]

Thanks again. How close was Cardiff?!

[Phphion]

Four fights re-balloting results are now in: www.ucu.org.uk/FourFightsReballot2022

Nine of the 38 institutions that were re-balloted passed the threshold for both strike action and asos: City; Newcastle; Queen Mary; Swansea; Northumbria; Oxford Brookes; UCA; Westminster; and Writtle University College.

[LaChanticleer]

My institution was re-balloted and didn't reach the threshold. Thank goodness. I was not in favour of the strikes at this moment. I think it's a disastrous PR move generally, although the reasons for striking are cogent.

The Four Fights campaign is incoherent, unfortunately.

[ghislaine]

I'd be interested to know whether the Dec strikes had any impact on UUK et al. I think after two years of pandemic stress, very many people can't handle the prospect of more stress and conflict. I know I can't and I'm not even a member of UCU!

[BlackLambAndGreyFalcon]

My institution was one of the ones rebalanced and has now met the threshold, so sooner or later I will have to cross the picket line. Fortunately, I only go into the office once a week, however I get to the office at 9.30 which is peak picketing time (can't change the time as I go on after dropping DD off at school).

[BlackLambAndGreyFalcon]

reballoted not rebalanced!

[worstofbothworlds]

New dates announced, and one set of dates is the whole of half term (convenient).
The following two Mondays are the dates for my last two classes of term. I am due to teach on campus and I'm in the union (and need to stay in the union due to "issues") so I'm not sure I can "pretend" not to be working by going on campus but hiding, or WFH (don't think the Uni would take "not wanting to cross the picket line" as a good excuse for teaching remotely, though I could always "need" a PCR both Mondays).
Added complications are that I have started writing a new lecture, which touches on sex/gender (I am in STEM but what I do affects people, this is on a topic which I've supervised a student project on also). I'm really keen to do this lecture but I'm also wary of pushback!

[Adatwistscientist]

I'm glad you started this thread, I'm in the same position for this new set of strikes. I was planning to go ahead and teach, cross the picket line, so I'm glad to see others think that's ok. I was in the union for over a decade but left over their lack of support for women.

[aridapricot]

I can totally see my colleagues (all fervent UCU members, but oh so worried about their students) going on strike, losing their pay for 10 days, but then diligently making recording of last year's lectures and tutorials available to students.

[worstofbothworlds]

I may have no choice but to make my lecture recordings available.