Nearly 48,000 University of California Union Workers Go on Strike – Classes, Research Disrupted

Thousands of University of California (UC) union workers walked off the job Monday in what will be the nation’s largest strike for academic workers. The ongoing strike will disrupt several classes, labs, and research work within the UC system.

The walkout began at 8:00 a.m., involving nearly 48,000 academic union workers from UCLA to UC Berkley and eight other universities within the UC system.

Those who are walking out include four United Auto union workers union bargaining units representing teaching assistants, postdoctoral scholars, academic and graduate student researchers, tutors, fellows, and others, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The demands of the union workers include wage increases, fully-funded childcare, healthcare for dependents, public transit passes, incentives for public transit use, lowering costs for foreign students, reducing fees, and expanding accessibility to those with disabilities.

The union workers say they are asking for higher wages because the universities proposed wage increases are not enough to keep up with the rising cost of living due to inflation.

One demand includes raising the annual wage of student researchers to a minimum of $54,000 per year, which is double what they currently make at $24,000 per year.

While those striking are frustrated with the negotiations, the UC system says it has “bargained in good faith, and listened carefully to UAW priorities with an open mind and a genuine willingness to compromise.”

The UC system also says they recognize the “highly valued contributions” that teacher assistants, student researchers, and all the rest striking have made to their respective universities. They further stated that they would continue to offer “fair pay, quality health and family-friendly benefits, and a supportive and respectful work environment” to those who work within the system.

While all campuses within the UC system plan to remain operational amid the strike, many professors rely heavily on academic researchers, which has resulted in some classes being canceled for Monday.

Hayley Bounds, a grad student researcher at UC Berkeley who is striking, told KTVU that there will “definitely be a lot of canceled classes,” adding that assignments will not be graded along with research being impacted.

One freshman student noted that with the end of the semester approaching, he would like to see the labor dispute resolved as soon as possible.

“With finals coming up soonish I feel like it’s important something should be resolved by then if not that will make things a lot more complicated,” says Freshman Jack Collard, whose Monday classes have all been canceled.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.