Up to 48,000 UC academic workers are planning to go on strike across their scholar system, including the University of California, San Diego.
The strike within the school system is expected to take place today, Monday, November 14 at 8 a.m., and UCSD has confirmed that they will prepare to fully function as a campus during the strike, though they are aware that regular school activities could be affected throughout the day.
UCSD recently told The San Diego Union-Tribune in a statement that the school “is prepared to ensure the continuity of learning and research should there be a strike. At this time, there are no plans to change class schedules, office hours or campus services. However, depending on the level of strike participation, some undergraduate, graduate and research activities could be impacted.”
This strike has the potential to become the biggest strike in the country, involving academic workers, and four UAW(United Auto Workers) bargaining units that would be representing educators, postdoctoral scholars, student researchers, and tutors.
The strike is set to take place across all of UC campuses, including our very own University of California – San Diego, located in La Jolla.
Workers are basing the strike around pay increases, as many employees are reportedly having a tough time finding affordable housing near their university campuses within the UC system.
According to a recent union survey, 40 percent of grad-student workers pay over half of their wages on monthly rent, and 92 percent use over 30 percent of their pay.
Monday's strike will also address other demands such as child care subsidies, improved health care for families, public transit passes, affordable tuition costs for foreign scholars, and improved assistance for workers with disabilities.
The unions released a statement saying the UC system works because of their hard work and dedication to shape its system into one of the best in the world.
“We teach the classes, grade the papers and perform the cutting-edge research that has earned UC its reputation as the best public university in the world and the global leader of [top] research institutions,” the unions said in a statement. “In short, UC works because we do."
“UC San Diego will provide additional information in the coming days,” the unions' statement concluded.
