The university system denied any wrongdoing and called on the union to remain at the negotiating table. “We are continuing negotiations in good faith and are committed to reaching a full agreement as soon as possible,” the University of California said in a statement.
On Monday, the strike appeared to have caused significant disruption. At the University of California, Berkeley, picketers demonstrated on a seemingly empty campus with canceled classes. At the University of California, San Diego, a nanotechnology lab that normally employs a dozen PhDs, postdocs and undergraduates has closed.
At UCLA, sociology 101, architecture and other popular undergraduate classes were canceled as hundreds of strikers echoed across the sprawling campus. I can see your greedy side! ”
Enrique Olivarez Pesante, a senior doctoral student in English at UCLA who was picketing in front of the university’s cinema building, earns $2,500 a month before taxes, more than half of which goes to alumni. I said that I was paying for the rent of the residence. Most teaching assistants earn much less, he said, adding, “It wasn’t accepted, so it happened.”
At the University of California, Berkeley, student council president and senior student Chaka Terem, 21, sympathized with the strike even though macroeconomics and African-American history classes were cancelled. “We are on a campus that, historically and to this day, recognizes the importance of collective action, the importance of strikes and non-violent direct action,” he said.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Anthony Huo said his hands were full just deciding whether his next class would be in person.
“I think it’s happening,” he said, zipping through the fall air of the famed Berkeley campus. “Maybe? I don’t know. I’ll try.”
Soumya Karlamangla, Holly Secon, Anemona hartocoris When Gnome Shiver contributed to the report.
