The Berkeley student strike in 1964 was started and organized by the Graduate
Coordinating Committee.
Excerpts from my forthcoming book which concern the FSM strike that
began on December 3.
[Graduate students set up tables in illegal space on November
10...]
"With representation from fifty departments, the GCC was
already talking about a possible strike. Although the FSM was
started and run by undergraduates, grad students were becoming a
larger and more influential constituency. They had their own
grievances, for which the FSM was a way to fight a proxy battle.
Once the pretense of prestige was brushed aside, grad students were
just an exploited low wage labor force. TAs did work similar to
that of high school teachers -- teaching small classes, grading
papers and exams, supervising students -- but without the pay or
perquisites. RAs did grub work for faculty. Being a TA or RA was
a way to finance graduate education, but only at a poverty level
life style."
......
[On November 29]
"Art and Mario were in Southern California speaking at other
campuses and visiting their parents so the Steering Committee met
at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday without them. It voted to hold a sit-in on
Wednesday, followed by a general strike of students and TAs on
Friday. This decision was not publicly announced. Officially the
FSM demanded that the new charges be dropped, but it knew they
would not be.
At the Monday noon rally students were told of the new charges
and the FSM demands. Plans for the strike were announced, but not
the sit-in. We were also told that disciplinary actions had begun
against Friends of SNCC, campus CORE, YSA, Women for Peace and the
DuBois Club. The Dean's office had asked the presidents of
"recognized student organizations" that were violating the rules to
come in for a talk."
.......
[December 1]
"The ASUC Senate condemned the impending sit-in which it
wrongly thought would be in Chancellor Strong's office in Dwinelle
Hall. The real plan was to invade Sproul Hall, and if it was
closed and locked, to occupy the Student Union. To prevent a
"lock-out" several students stuffed the locks in the doors of both
buildings with toothpicks. Central became battle ready,
requisitioning an apartment at Bancroft right across from Sproul
Hall as Command Central. Hall monitors were identified, armbands,
microphones, and numerous supplies were stored in readiness for the
occupation. Four hundred grad students put the GCC on record in
support of a sit-in and subsequent strike. Joan Baez was alerted
that she was needed again. Students were told to come to a noon
rally on Wednesday, and to bring books, food and sleeping bags."
.........
[December 3]
"By 6:00 a.m. picket lines were at all entrances into the South
side of the campus.
As students came on campus, many demanded to be let inside so
they too could be arrested. These requests were refused. Several
climbed up the ropes to join us. The Steering Committee decided
that the strike planned for Friday should begin immediately and
assigned Weissman the task of co-ordinating it. He left by the
ropes.
.......
As the GCC implemented strike plans, the Daily Cal reported that at
least half of the T.A.s would not hold class. GCC surveys
estimated that half were on strike and another quarter honored
their picket lines. Strike Central organized a phone bank to all
Berkeley students to ask them not to go to class. The T.A.s took
over some departmental offices (with permission of their chairmen),
commandeering the phones and running STRIKE leaflets off on
departmental mimeos. The rally tree became Picket Central, with a
blackboard listing assignments, instructions for picketers, plus
posterboard and marking pins for students to make their own signs.
Every campus entrance and every building where undergraduates took
most of their classes had a picket line."
Jo Freeman, author of A ROOM AT A TIME: HOW WOMEN ENTERED PARTY
POLITICS (Rowman and Littlefield 2000)
forthcoming: EDUCATION AT BERKELEY 1961-1965: A HISTORY AND MEMOIR
OF A FEMALE UNDERGRAD
^Z
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