“UCSC, UCSB, UC wide solidarity”
On March 9th University of California, San Diego will join the University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of California, Davis in participating in some form of teaching assistant strike. The lead up to the TA strike started with UCSC early in the school year in September after organizers asked for a COLA, and multiple communication attempts were attempted before the TA’s voted to strike at the start of December. That was last quarter though, and UCSB has now taken the stance of a strike as well, one part in solidarity with the now 82 TA’s fired at UCSC for striking, and also as a call for their own COLA at Santa Barbara.
- What is a COLA
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A COLA looks different for every campus, based on the fact that the cost of living adjustment is based on the cost of that specific area. With UCSB the TA’s are asking for $1,807.51, and this number is based on the fact that the primary issue with TA’s is that they are rent-burdened. Being rent-burdened is defined as spending over 30% of your paycheck on rent, some students pay way over 30% of their paycheck to rent given the price to live in Santa Barbara. The average cost of rent and utilities for Santa Barbara is $1,208, and Ta’s monthly income after fees is $2,358 placing them well over the line for rent-burdened on average. So, that is where the number of $1,807.51 came from; because while some TA’s might be able to pick up an extra job, or have financial help this may not be the case for all. TA’s all have different circumstances: some may be international who can only work as a TA given their visa making a COLA very crucial to be able to continue school without burning themselves out, and some may have kids or other people they need to support. Every TA has a different story, and thus a reason for why they may support or not support the asking for COLA. The thing is though our TA’s definitely do not get enough credit While they may be scheduled to only work at most 20 hours a week grading, mentoring, and the support for undergraduates is something they manage to maintain. In addition to the value TA’s provide here they also provide at every UC, so it is not an isolated issue at Santa Barbara. The fact that it is UC wide is, in fact, one of the very reasons UCSB decided to go on strike, as an act of solidarity. This solidarity though is not only with UCSC but also with undergrads as one of the requests on the COLA demands is to not increase tuition. The TA’s while possibly going on strike are still to the best of their abilities looking out for us undergraduates for the most part.
- How Does it Affect You
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You may be wondering though how the TA strike may affect you and your classes. In the same way that a COLA is different for every school, striking is different for every TA. The best advice is to check with your TA, and see if they are striking how they are going about that. Some may no longer be having section and not submitting grades, some may just not be submitting grades, some maybe not striking at all, and some may have their own form of handling the strike so it is best to foremost be in conversation with them. If your TA though is not submitting grades though you can reference UCSC’s handy “Do I Need My Grades Submitted” flow chart to know if you need your TA to submit or not, and have that conversation with your TA. If you do need your grades submitted, and your TA refuses, UCSB4COLA has made it known to undergrads that they can reach out to them and they will help with the situation. Aside from that though, talk to your TA’s, both those who are and are not striking. Go to the picket line, either for questions, or just to show support. I have been there almost every day just working, and it is actually a very productive space for me personally. Math graduates are there around the clock to help me with math homework as they host a math lab, it is in a prime sunny study spot, teach-ins on various topics happen daily, free food, and also they have a great playlist going constantly.
- Where Could the Money Come From
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Just like how the support for COLA differs with each TA you are free to decide your views on a COLA for our TA’s as well. I would like to leave you with some information about the UC’s finances for you to consider as you decide your level of support. The California auditor found that UC President’s office had hid $175 million, from not only the public but the UC regents board as the office increased its staff’s salary while instituting tuition hikes for its undergrads. While Janet denies this, she still cites the surplus as only $32 million. At UC Santa Cruz the administration has stated that the policing for the strike cost $300,000, which adds up given the amount of time the TA’s have been striking. For UCSB alone the cost of a COLA is less than 2 percent of the 2019–20 operating budget of $39.8 billion and less than 5 percent of the total 2018 UC employee payroll of $16 billion. It is important to recognize that as undergraduates we can sympathize, and try to understand the TA’s, but we are not in the same position as they are which is why communication with those leading the strike is so important. UCSB4COLA is the social media tag for all things COLA related at UCSB, so do not be afraid to reach out with any questions or concerns you have.
Sources: https://ucsb4cola.org, https://payusmoreucsc.com, https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/janet-napolitano-audit-university-california-president-hid-175-million/, and https://www.salon.com/2020/02/24/uc-presidents-threats-against-striking-uc-santa-cruz-students-backfire-as-sen-sanders-steps-in/