*Photo: Libcom
In the finalizing months of last semester, thousands of University of California graduate students began what is said to be the largest educational strike in U.S. history. Starting November 14th 2022, a reported 48,000 workers across the 10-campus system, composed mostly of teaching assistants and researchers, walked off the job in demands for better labor compensation, as well as aid for disabled and international students. Six long weeks of protest were put to an end December 23rd after many negotiations and contracts with university representatives, promising to increase salaries to “nearly $35,000 for graduate student researchers and $34,000 for teaching assistants by October 2024” (Politico). Now, surpassing a month since the negotiations, major concerns overwhelm the daily lives of students that have already returned to work.
The protests, which began mid-November, were organized by unionized workers represented by United Auto Workers (UAW) 5810, UAW 2865 and SRU-UAW. The primary objective of the protests was a call for increased wages, as “their current wages make it impossible to live in the cities where they work. . .struggle to afford rent in cities heavily impacted by California’s housing crisis” (The Guardian).
The fact of the matter is, a considerable amount of on-campus coursework and research is conducted by student workers. In the 40-days of protest, considerable cutbacks in campus operations were observed, the majority of classes, labs, grading, office-hours, and even bus-stops facing temporary shut-downs. One graduate student from UC Davis elaborates, “Without TA’s, coordinators virtually cannot conduct labs, and some classes are even taught entirely by graduate students. GIS classes taught by these students were completely shut down” (Anonymous, Academic Student Employee at University of California, Davis). For the immense amount of student contribution to the overall function of campus life, disputes over unfair labor compensations serve as no surprise.
Within the bargaining issue of unfair wages also stood a concern for long-serving workers, such as those married and/or with children. The current hiked price of living in California has caused many working parents to struggle with affording housing and childcare. According to a study conducted under UCOP, “Eleven percent of undergraduate parenting students reported ever being homeless. . .About two-thirds (61 percent) of undergraduate student parents reported having experienced food insecurity” (Jan 2019). There is also an underlying neglect of primary caregivers, most of which happen to be women, being disproportionately affected by lack of childcare subsidies and hence driven out of academia as a whole, says the Los Angeles Times.
Unionized workers also aimed for negotiations for free public-transit for student workers, as well as subsidies to afford other transportation mechanisms. They also intended to see “easier access to accommodations for workers with disabilities, as well as better job protections” (LA Times). Other matters the protests hoped to address were reduced costs for international student workers and bullying and harassment protection.
Friday, December 23rd, after prolonged debate between union representatives and UC officials, student workers walked out with two-and-a-half-year contracts promising up to 80% increases in wage, redefining starting salaries as $34-35,000 for all graduate student researchers and TA’s by October 2024. The contracts also included subsidies and paid leave for working parents, as well as additional protection against bullying and harassment. That same night, United Auto Workers union leaders announced results of the survey saying academic employees will return to work in January after winter-break.
The most recent, grievous concern that has followed contract binding is a gradual decrease in graduate admissions to cover the costs of increased wages, as well as department cuts. Unionized workers responsible for pioneering the strike notified that UC plans to decrease graduate enrollments for the next fall semester by 33%, and introduce cutbacks on TA positions (San Francisco Examiner). Fear of reduced employment and increased competition in graduate enrollments poses a very real threat to working students, but unions argue “UC has plenty of money to afford competitive pay for all”. Jaime, a UCLA Ph.D. student also adds, “We know the university (system) has vast resources to pay the Chancellors’ lavish salaries, maintaining mansions and pursuing wasteful capital projects like stadiums. This isn’t a question about resources, it’s a question about priorities” (SF Examiner).
Other opponents of the pact presented critiques that it did not meet the expected measures in compensation, and “balked at the two-year ramp up period” (Politico).
As for now, thousands of previously on-strike unionized workers have returned to work this past January. Unfair labor practices stand to be an extensive concern for UC academic workers as well as for laborers of other Californian institutions. For more updates on the UC crisis as well as ways to take action, check out fairUCnow.org.