About 48,000 unionized University of California workers went on strike today at the UC’s ten campuses across the state. They include teaching assistants, postdoctoral scholars, grad student researchers and tutors. Together they do most of the teaching and research at the Universities of California schools. They are asking for higher pay and better benefits. Eric Yeh has the story.
On a cold early Monday morning, the usually quiet UCLA campus was met with an unexpected sound. [PROTEST SOUND] Hundreds of UCLA workers marched around different parts of campus holding white and blue signs that read “UAW ON STRIKE UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE” while also being led by chants from megaphones and drums.
The UAW stands for United Auto Workers. Sam Hunter one of the protesters stepped aside to explain why they are striking.
SAM HUNTER: Because the university won’t stop committing unfair labor practices. You know, we’ve been saying for months that we need to earn enough to live here. And the university’s response has been to break the law rather than, you know, meet us and talk this out.
Some 48,000 unionized workers across the University of California’s schools had organized walkouts this morning. They’re asking for better benefits and higher wages. Currently, they earn an average of $24,000 a year.
MORGAINE MANDIGO-STOBA: That’s obviously not enough to live in these cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, Santa Cruz.
According to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Research Center, it costs close to $47,000 annually to live in California. Physics teaching assistant and striker Morgaine Mandigo-Stoba explains the struggle with making ends meet in California.
MANDIGO-STOBA: Over half of academic workers at UC pay more than 50% of their income on rent each month. So we’re fighting to end rent burden. We want we’re asking for salaries that take us out of rent burden, that take us down to 30% of our wages spent on rent.
The workers are seeking $54,000 a year. Here is Mandigo-Stoba again on what the workers would use the higher wages on beyond rent.
MANDIGO-STOBA: We’re asking for, you know, parity with international scholars. We’re asking for childcare reimbursement currently at the U.S. system or at least at UCLA. It costs $2,000 a month to have a child in daycare. That’s my entire paycheck.
Three UAW chapters have been negotiating for months with the UC’s to no avail. The UAW is claiming that this is the largest walkout in academic history. Striker Desmond Fonseca shares his hopes for the university’s response.
DESMOND FONSECA: We don’t have to be out here, so that students can be in the classroom, so that research can resume because we don’t want research to shut down. We don’t want education to shut down. We are undergrads, people we have a section for to be learning. You know, I personally love teaching. Teaching is, you know, maybe my favorite part about being a Ph.D. student worker here at UCLA.
The demonstration disrupted normal campus life today. The University of California has said that any differences should be worked out at the bargaining table and not on the picket lines. The UC’s said in a statement “UC remains committed to continuing its good faith efforts.... to reach agreements with UAW as quickly as possible.... " For Annenberg Media I’m Eric Yeh.