Univ. of Calif. Academic Workers Strike for Pay, Benefits
Coming just weeks before final exams, nearly 48K University of California (UC) system teaching assistants, researchers, postdoctoral students, tutors, and graders have gone on strike in response to the rising cost of living expenses.
Facts
- Coming just weeks before final exams, nearly 48K University of California (UC) system teaching assistants, researchers, postdoctoral students, tutors, and graders have gone on strike in response to the rising cost of living expenses. They're seeking higher pay and benefits, including childcare subsidies.
- Despite the strike, which is represented by the United Automobile Workers union, the roughly 300K-student university system said that its 10 campuses would remain open and that instruction and operations would continue.
- Workers are asking for annual base salaries of $54K, with the university offering a 5% pay increase in the first year and 3% thereafter. The unions declined the offer as inadequate and stated they have set no end date for the strike.
- The strikes are particularly focused on housing costs, with UC campuses residing in some of the most expensive parts of Calif. like Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Irvine. In a union survey, 92% of workers said housing consumed one-third of their paycheck while 40% said one-half.
- Beyond the base salary, the United Automobile Workers is requesting annual salaries of $70K for postdoctoral employees, a 14% pay raise for academic researchers, and “[a]nnual cost of living adjustments and experience-based increases.”
- In October, UC said it ratified a new four-year contract with its more than 13K clerical employees, library assistants, childcare teachers, and other administrative staff. After already conducting 50 bargaining sessions over the past weekend, it also proposed enlisting a private, third-party mediator.
Sources: FOX News, New York Times, SFgate, and Daily Wire.
Narratives
- Left narrative, as provided by LA Times. For years these research assistants and teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure that UC schools remain prestigious learning environments. Housing prices are outrageous, which is why tens of thousands of workers across the state have decided to stand up in solidarity.
- Right narrative, as provided by BreitBart. The UC has bargained in good faith, yet this union-led strike has created massive disruptions to campus operations just ahead of finals. With classes being canceled, the ultimate end users of the UC system, students, are feeling the stress of this dispute.
