Forty-eight thousand University of California graduate student workers are preparing to strike across all 10 UC campuses starting Monday. The student workers have organized with United Auto Workers and are demanding the university system pay a living wage and engage in good-faith bargaining for a fair union contract. Student workers recently rallied on the UC Berkeley campus.

Student worker 1: “Can someone tell me why my peers have to skip meds in order to make ends meet? Can someone tell me why my peers are attending funerals on Zoom because they can’t afford a plane ticket home?”

Student worker 2: “I’m not going to have money in my checking account by the end of this month. These demands that we’re putting forward with this new contract are making sure that we’re able to have our basic necessities covered.”

Student worker 3: “Real equity, real access means paying living wages so that this university isn’t just for those with generational wealth.”