Nearly 48,000 unionized academic workers for the University of California school system walked off the job Monday on campuses across the state. Assistant professors, researchers, postdoctoral students, teachers and graders are seeking salary increases and better benefits, including child care subsidies, as the cost of living continues to rise in cities like Los Angeles, San Diego and Berkeley . The strike comes just weeks before final exams in December, threatening to disrupt teaching. Some professors were already telling students that classes were on hold until further notice. Protesters march outside the University of California campus in Los Angeles on Nov. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes/AP Newsroom) The University of California proposed a salary increase of 5 percent in the first year and 3 percent thereafter, saying in a statement that it had entered into negotiations with a genuine willingness to compromise and that “several tentative agreements” had been reached on issues. “UC’s primary goal in these negotiations is multi-year agreements that recognize the significant and valuable contributions these employees make to UC’s teaching and research mission with fair wages, quality health and family-friendly benefits, and a supportive and respectful work environment.” environment,” he said. Workers, however, say this is not enough. Protesters march outside the University of California campus in Los Angeles on Nov. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes/AP Newsroom) They are asking for minimum annual base salaries of $54,000. Organizers from the United Auto Workers (UAW), which represents the employees involved, say the strike is the largest at the University of California and could be the largest academic strike in higher education in US history. GET THE FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE The UAW also said no end date has been set for the work stoppage. “The strike will end when UC stops its unfair labor practices and begins bargaining in good faith,” Neil Sweeney, president of UAW Local 5810, told The Associated Press. Protesters march outside the University of California campus in Los Angeles on Nov. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes/AP Newsroom) He said the current average pay is about $24,000 a year for students. More than 30 lawmakers have written to UCLA President Michael Drake in support of the students. “UC is one of the world’s leading public university systems and research institutions, in part because of its ability to attract the most talented scholars from a wide range of backgrounds,” the lawmakers said. “But the UC system cannot live up to its mission and reputation if its employees themselves do not feel respected.” In October, the University of California said it had ratified a new four-year contract with its more than 13,000 office workers, library assistants, childcare teachers and other administrative staff. The school system told FOX Business Digital in an emailed statement Tuesday that the University of California continues to negotiate in good faith, as well as mitigate the impact of any strike. Protesters march outside the University of California campus in Los Angeles on Nov. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes/AP Newsroom) “Negotiations continued throughout the weekend and the University’s current proposal would set the standard for graduate academic staff support among public research universities. It is important to note that our graduate student workers work strictly on a part-time basis while earning their degree or their PhD degree, and this stipend is just one of the many ways they are supported as students during their time with the [University of California],” he said. The University of California said that, at this time, it believes the best way to reach an agreement is with the help of a neutral, private third-party mediator, and that it has proposed hiring such a mediator to reach a compromise. He said he continues to encourage the union’s cooperation in pursuing mediation and has held more than 50 negotiations over the past holiday weekend and worked to deliver a fair, multi-year deal. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT FOX BUSINESS “Under our proposals, salaries for UC academic employees will be among the top of the pay scale among top public research universities and more comparable to private universities such as Harvard, MIT and USC,” it said. “The University recognizes the valuable contributions of our postdoctoral fellows, academic researchers, part-time academic students (teaching assistants/readers/lecturers), and part-time graduate student researchers. These employees contribute substantially to the University’s teaching and research mission in roles part-time and full-time, and we believe that our offers of fair wages, quality health benefits and family-friendliness, among other proposals, are fair, reasonable and responsive to the union’s concerns.” “We are optimistic that through mediation and maintaining a spirit of flexibility and compromise we can reach a fair agreement with the UAW,” the University of California concluded. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
