Striking University of California, Berkeley workers have been out picketing all day Monday bringing grading, some classes and research to a halt.
They said they plan to stay on the picket line until the university gives them a living wage.
Some of the graduate students are making as little as $24,000 a year which if anyone who lives in Berkeley or Los Angeles or any of these high cost cities knows isn’t enough to make ends meet.
Vetri Velan is a full time researcher at the University’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who is working on understanding what the universe is made out of, while struggling to make his rent.
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“To be honest, it’s something I’m very passionate about. I’d love to be doing that but I am on strike today because the university has left us no choice,” said Velen.
“Classes are generally shuttered. Research isn’t happening. Lab work isn’t happening. Data isn’t being communicated to advisers. All work of the University is stopped,” said striking workers Tanzil Chowdhury.
For many students that means discussion classes and office hours have been canceled and some lectures have gone online only, just a month before finals are set to start.
But some undergraduates said they support the strikers.
“You guys are very strong and brave and standing up for yourselves instead of staying quiet,” said student Georgie Pantazis. “They basically do all the work so I applaud them.”
The university said it will continue to negotiate fairly saying, “These employees make valuable contributions to the university’s teaching and research mission…. we believe our offers of fair pay, quality health and family friendly benefits are fair."
The workers say they will continue to strike until they get what they’re asking for.
