The University of California system reached an agreement Friday night with more than 36,000 graduate student teaching assistants and other academic workers, potentially ending a 32-day strike.
The strike, the largest of its kind in the US, disrupted classes at all 10 UC system campuses as academic workers fought for pay and benefits increases.
“In addition to incredible pay increases, the tentative agreements also include increased benefits for working parents, increased rights for international workers, protections against bullying and harassment, accessibility improvements, workplace protections, and sustainable transportation benefits. Tarini Hardikar, a member of the UC Berkeley union bargaining team, said in a press release Friday.
Bargaining units said some workers could see raises of up to 66% over the next two years, the Associated Press reported. The contracts would run until May 31, 2025.
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA STRIKE IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THE PROBLEMS OF THE GOLDEN STATE ARE BEING WARNED TO THE REST OF THE NATION
Academic workers take part in a protest in front of the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, Monday, November 14, 2022.
(AP Photo/Damián Dovarganes)
Although this strike only involved the UC system, its results could have an impact on higher education across the country. For decades, colleges and universities have increasingly relied on professors and graduate students to teach and research without the same pay and benefits as full professors.
“There is a fundamental shift in who is doing the academic work in higher education,” said Tim Cain, associate professor of higher education at the University of Georgia. Graduate student salaries have not held up over time, he added, and many seeking full-time teaching jobs face stiffer competition year after year.
One of the main complaints from academic workers was that they couldn’t afford to live in cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, and Berkeley at today’s wages.
“These agreements will place our graduate student employees among the best supported in public higher education,” University of California President Michael V. Drake said in a news release. “If approved, these contracts will honor their critical work and allow us to continue to attract the best academic talent from California and around the world.”
NEW YORK TIMES STAFF SPEAKS OUT AGAINST MANAGEMENT Amid STRIKE: ‘WE ARE FIGHTING FOR A FAIR CONTRACT’
A group of people participate in a protest in front of the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, Monday, November 14, 2022.
(AP Photo/Damián Dovarganes)
William A. Herbert, executive director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions at Hunter College in New York, said what was happening at UC demonstrated that “strikes are very forceful means to achieve goals.”
Friday’s agreement came a few weeks after the school system reached a similar agreement with postdoctoral staff and academic researchers. That group consisted of approximately 12,000 of the 48,000 union members who walked off the job on November 14 and joined the picket lines.
A pay increase of up to 29%, increased family leave, child care subsidies and longer appointments to ensure job security were some of the things decided in that agreement, according to a United Auto statement. Workers Local 5810.
People take part in a protest in front of the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, Monday, November 14, 2022.
(AP Photo/Damián Dovarganes)
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The strike came at a time of increased labor action across the country, as graduate student employees at universities across the country, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Clark University, Fordham University, New Mexico State University, Washington State University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute voted in favor. of unionization.
The agreement still needs to be ratified before the strike can officially end.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
