Thousands of University of California workers begin strike

Approximately 50,000 University of California System employees began a strike on Monday, demanding better pay and more secure employment conditions.

The group includes researchers, teaching assistants, tutors, and more. The strikers are being represented by the United Auto Workers union.

Approximately 50,000 University of California (UC) System employees began a strike on Monday, demanding better pay and more secure employment conditions.

The group included researchers, teaching assistants, tutors, and more. The strikers are represented by the United Auto Workers union.

[Related: ANALYSIS: How the rise of unionization on campus impacts undergraduate students]

Prior to the beginning of the strike, the school said in a statement that there would be “continuity of instruction and research in the event of a UAW strike.”

The union has also accused the UC System of violating a myriad of labor laws, including “failing to provide necessary and relevant information for bargaining proposals” and “unilaterally changing compensation.”


UC responded to these claims in its statement, saying they are “not true,” and that it “remains committed to continuing its good faith efforts to reach agreements with UAW as quickly as possible.”

This is not the only instance of a university worker strike this year.

In January, Campus Reform reported that a 10-week student-led strike at the University of Columbia ended with the school agreeing to the protesters’ $140 million demand.

[Related: Striking workers union, Columbia University reach tentative agreement on $140 million demand]

The University of California and the United Auto Workers have been contacted for comment. This article will be updated accordingly. 

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