Written by Joseph Perez
Graduate student researchers in the UC system have officially filed to become a union, the 17,000 student researchers are attempting to capitalize on the increase in funding for the UC system and help fill their pockets. The head of the movement, located at the University of California-San Francisco, has stated her desire to better their working conditions and improve equity and office democracy.
However, she must not realize that the things she and colleagues are already in place. Student researchers take home anywhere between $1,700-$3,488 monthly. In addition to their commensurate pay, they receive a stipend from the University of California for healthcare.
According to an official spokesman for the U.C System, they have officially taken a neutral stance on unionization for student researchers. In 2017 when a bill was put forward in the California Legislature to allow certain sectors to unionize, the U.C System claimed that it would substantially increase the cost to the Universities.
A cost difference that would most likely be passed onto the student body. While pay can fluctuate between departments and universities in the University of California system, the pay is generally commensurate with the workload. Unionization by the student researchers will inevitably lead to higher costs of just about everything on campus, as the administration will pass on its new costs to the students. Who already pay a high enough price to attend California’s public universities.
