University employees are forced to sleep in cars while California’s elite taxpayer-funded institutions blow millions on DEI programs and administrative bloat.
At a Glance
- Nearly 60,000 University of California workers staged a system-wide strike across all 10 campuses and 5 medical centers
- Workers claim they need multiple jobs to survive while UC administration refuses meaningful wage negotiations
- Union representatives report the number of UC employees eligible for government housing subsidies has nearly tripled since 2017
- UC administrators have been accused of illegal labor practices including restricting union activity and dividing workers
- The university disputes staffing crisis claims while workers report deteriorating conditions affecting student services
Another Day, Another Public University Mismanaging Your Tax Dollars
While California’s state budget sinks deeper into crisis and taxpayers struggle with the nation’s highest cost of living, the University of California system apparently can’t find enough money in its bloated budgets to pay workers a living wage. Tens of thousands of UC employees walked off the job on April 1st in what has become a depressingly familiar scene across the supposedly prestigious institution.
The strike included healthcare workers, researchers, technical staff, and service employees from two major unions – all unified by the radical notion that working for a multi-billion dollar public institution should enable you to, I don’t know, afford rent?
The coordinated labor action spanned all 10 UC campuses, five medical centers, numerous clinics, and research facilities. While university administrators claim they’ve offered “generous” packages, workers tell a dramatically different story – one where dedicated employees are forced to choose between basic necessities and keeping the jobs they love.
Meanwhile, the UC system continues its impressive expansion of six-figure administrative positions and diversity initiatives that somehow never seem to include economic diversity for its own workforce.
Working Three Jobs Just to Serve the Elite
Remember when a single job at a prestigious institution was enough to support a middle-class life? Those days are apparently long gone at the University of California, where workers report increasingly desperate measures just to keep serving at the institution. The share of UC employees who qualify for government housing assistance has nearly tripled since 2017 – a damning statistic that somehow hasn’t prompted university leadership to reconsider their priorities. When your employees are eligible for welfare while working full-time, something is fundamentally broken in your compensation structure.
“UC is attempting to silence our voices on the job — but we refuse to be silenced. Many of us work two or three jobs, seven days a week, while commuting up to two hours just to make ends meet. One job should be enough. It’s time for a change. We take care of UC. UC should take care of us,” says Christopher Contreras.
Union representatives have accused the university of illegal labor practices, including restricting union activity and employing classic “divide-and-conquer” strategies to undermine worker solidarity. The University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA (UPTE) filed formal charges with California’s Public Employment Relations Board on March 17, alleging the university refuses to negotiate wages for newly unionized members and has unlawfully increased healthcare costs. But don’t worry – I’m sure UC administrators will find plenty of money for their next social justice initiative while their workers can’t afford healthcare.
Sleeping in Cars While UC Expands Administrative Bloat
Perhaps the most shocking revelation from this labor dispute is the claim that some UC employees are literally sleeping in their cars because they can’t afford housing near their workplaces. Todd Stenhouse, a spokesperson for one of the unions, stated bluntly that the University of California is “forcing workers to sleep in their cars in order to maintain their employment because they cannot live anywhere near their jobs.” Let that sink in: At one of America’s supposedly premier public university systems, dedicated employees are homeless – while the institution continues to raise tuition and expand its administrative ranks.
“[University of California is] forcing workers to sleep in their cars in order to maintain their employment because they cannot live anywhere near their jobs,” says Todd Stenhouse.
The university, predictably, disputes these claims. Spokesperson Heather Hansen insists UC has offered “generous wage increases” and asserts that staff headcounts are actually increasing while turnover decreases. This directly contradicts worker accounts of crippling understaffing and overwhelming workloads. It’s the same playbook we’ve seen from bloated public institutions for years – deny the problem exists while continuing to raise costs for students and taxpayers. The sad irony is that these are the same institutions constantly lecturing the rest of us about “equity” and “social justice” while their own employees can’t afford basic necessities.
The Real Victims: Students and Patients
While administrators and union officials battle it out, the people who truly suffer are the students paying astronomical tuition rates and patients depending on UC medical facilities. Workers emphasize they don’t want to be striking – they want to be serving students and patients. The strike represents a last resort after what workers describe as months of bad-faith negotiations and stonewalling from university leadership. Research stations sit empty, medical facilities operate with skeleton crews, and campus services deteriorate, all while the administration apparently can’t find room in their massive budgets to pay living wages.
“I have coworkers who have three jobs just to pay rent, just to survive. We are frontliners; we deserve to be treated as humans,” says Janet Mucino.
This strike marks the third major labor action at UC in just four months – a telling statistic about the state of labor relations at this taxpayer-funded institution. The third-party review process for the unfair labor practice charges could take months to resolve, meaning this dispute will likely drag on while students continue paying premium prices for diminished services and workers struggle to keep roofs over their heads.
All this while California faces unprecedented budget deficits and taxpayers wonder where exactly their money is going. The answer, as usual with government institutions, is everywhere except where it’s needed most.
