AP: UC's academic workers strike brings stress to undergraduates

[Omaha Steve]

https://apnews.com/article/business-education-strikes-berkeley-united-states-government-9bc12e3e2c4103a61cbb801b0eb6d64b

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ an hour ago

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — A month into the nation’s largest strike involving higher education, the work stoppage by University of California academic workers at 10 campuses is causing stress for many students who are facing canceled classes, no one to answer their questions and uncertainty about how they will be graded as they wrap up the year.

Some 48,000 student employees walked off the job on Nov. 14 to demand higher wages and better benefits. The employees, represented by the United Auto Workers Local 5810, say they were left with no other choice but to strike to demand increased wages necessary to keep up with the sky-high rents in cities like Berkeley, San Diego and Los Angeles.

Last week, university officials agreed to a 29% pay hike for postdoctoral employees and academic researchers who make up about 12,000 of the 48,000 workers. The university system also agreed to provide more family leave time, childcare subsidies and job security.

But the postdoctoral employees and researchers have refused to return to work until a deal is also reached for the 36,000 graduate student teaching assistants, tutors and researchers who are bargaining separately for increased pay and benefits. The strike is being closely watched and could have a ripple effect at schools across the country.

FULL story at link above.

[JT45242]

1. I understand striking but...

They will be trading big bucks for a few for large layoffs.

The academic world is reeling from a lack of funds. State legislatures have cut post secondary education funding for decades. The sequester rules from not passing budgets have literally gutted research funding st the federal level, which is how most grad students and post docs have been paid.

So, where will the money have to come from? Tuition hikes on undergrad students to pay for people who have nothing to do with actually teaching them. Plus paying more money for graduate teaching assistant who aren't even required to take a single pedagogy class. Who will bear the brunt of this? The middle class trying to go to these state schools.

(On a side note. There will be HUGE fee increases at nearly all schools to underwrite athletic department budgets as the unintended but easily predicted effect of NIL for athletes. Since megadonors are giving huge piles of money to specific players (almost exclusively in football. Men's and women's basketball), they are no longer giving money to the athletic department as a whole. So, that list revenue will either be passed onto undergrad students or result in dismantling scholarship sports.)