On April 14, staff and students at the University of California held a statewide 1-day strike. The strike effected campuses throughout the UC system (Picket Info for all campuses), including UCSF, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley. The union that called for the strikes, AFSCME, represents service workers, who are among the lowest paid workers on the campuses. The union is struggling for a fair contract and for workers' (especially immigrant workers') rights. A recent report issued by the National Economic Development and Law Center found that 46% of UC service workers earned wages too low to support a family. It also found UC workers earning much less than workers at California State University (CSU) and many community colleges.

In Berkeley, over a thousand labor activists, staff and workers engaged in flying pickets and rallies all day culminating in a rally in front of International House where Robert Birgeneau was being sworn in as chancellor. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

In Santa Cruz, workers and students gathered starting as early as 4:30 AM to set up a strike line at the Base Entrance to UCSC. More than a thousand people took part in shutting UC Santa Cruz for the entire day.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Audio: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Video: 1

In San Diego, around 1000 workers went on strike at UCSD. Several hundred protesters gathered for a solidarity rally At 4pm. Read More

In Santa Barbara AFSCME Local 3299 was joined by CUE, students, faculty and more for a strike demanding livable wages and respect. Read More

Read More On Indybay's Labor News Page