UC Davis will hold classes and remain open and operational during the strike called for today and Tuesday, Oct. 15, by several unions.

Campus officials will be available for briefings on the strike's impact on the campus. Reporters are invited to attend the briefings at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday in the AGR Hall of the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center, across the street from the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

For more information on the labor negotations which are conducted by the UC Office of the President, contact Paul Schwartz, UC human resources communications director, (510) 987-9924.

The unions involved include:

* The Coalition of University Employees (CUE). At UC Davis, some 2,300 employees in 30 job titles are in the unit, including dispatchers, library assistants and administrative assistants.

* University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) representing lecturers, At UC Davis, there are about 300 lecturers who teach approximately 30 percent of the 2,000 classes held daily on campus.

* University Professional & Technical Employees ("UPTE"), a local union affiliated with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), representing two bargaining units. At UC Davis these include approximately 1,550 employees in various job titles, including staff research associates, museum scientists, animal health technicians, illustrators and computer resource specialists.

* The Association of Graduate Student Employees/United Auto Workers (AGSE/UAW), also has encouraged its members to strike in sympathy. At UC Davis, this union represents about 1,200 graduate students, some of whom lead class sections, serve as instructors and grade papers.

For more information on the strike at UC Davis, go to the campus news Web site. For UC system labor information, visit UCOP's labor site. UC Davis also has a strike hotline at (530) 754-7727.