University Of California…A Battle Of The Have’s & Have-Not’s

The University of California is seeing record enrollment.

Nearly 94-thousand first-year students have been admitted to U-C campuses to start classes in the Fall 2024 semester.

That represents a 4% increase over last year.

Across all U-C schools, the admission rate has increased to 70 percent.

But some schools are tougher to get into than others.

UCLA, the university that receives more applications than any other school in the nation has an admission rate of only 9 and a half  percent.

But, while pampered teens with wealthy parents are getting into top universities, the people who work at those schools are unhappy.

Thousands of University of California service and patient care workers are joining picket lines and rallies on Wednesday, July 31st, as contracts expire for AFSCME Local 3299 represented patient care workers.

Efforts to reach bargaining agreements that address the cost of living and housing affordability crises plaguing the university’s frontline workers have reached an impasse.

“The University of California has publicly acknowledged a staff vacancy crisis that ultimately threatens the quality of services it can deliver to its students and patients,” said AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant. “This is a function of UC’s overall failure to compete in the labor market, its failure to pay frontline workers enough to keep pace with rising costs, and its total refusal to commit to the housing affordability solutions workers need in order to live near their jobs.”

Research has shown the cost of living in communities with a UC campus is as high as 47% more than the average for comparable campus communities nationwide, while the real wages of frontline UC patient care technicians and service workers have been on a steady decline since the COVID 19 Pandemic during which they were routinely praised as “heroes.” More recently, news reports have detailed a persistent housing affordability crisis plaguing lower paid UC workers, amidst a rapid expansion of UC facilities that is putting even more cost pressures on local housing markets.

Today (July 31st), thousands of students and AFSCME 3299 represented service and patient care workers will mount protests across the state. Actions will be held at every UC Campus, with the largest protests and noon time rallies featuring allies and state leaders planned in Sacramento, San Francisco, Irvine, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

 

 

UCLA workers, students and supporters picket at Royce Quad in the University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA campus Tuesday, May, 28, 2024, The UAW union representing student workers of the University of California have escalated a labor standoff to include three campuses. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) used locally July 31st 2024

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