LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KERO) — The Associated Press reported Friday evening that the 48,000 teaching assistants, tutors, researchers, and post doctoral scholars in the University of California system who have been on strike since November 14 have accepted a tentative deal with the university. The deal will now go to the union membership for a vote.
The graduate employees of the UC system went on strike to demand a pay rate that will let them afford nearby housing in pricey California college towns like Berkeley and Los Angeles, as well as child-care subsidies, enhanced healthcare for their families and dependents, and longer family leave, among other things.
According to reporting by Teresa Wantanabe with the Los Angeles Times, the postdoctoral scholars and researchers reached an agreement with the school last month to raise their pay to a level that will make UC postdocs some of the best compensated academic professionals in the country. However, those employees refused to return to work until the graduate student employees' demands were addressed.
Rafael Jaime, president of UAW 2865 representing 19,000 graduate student instructors, tells the LA Times he is "proudly" recommending that the union ratify this agreement.
