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While most were protesting the unfair labor practices, some were concerned about other University issues on Monday, November 14 at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

Photos by Tyler Simms | The Corsair Signs were available to all who wished to participate in the strike on Monday, November 14 at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Students, workers and faculty organized a strike on Monday, November 14 at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). They are striking with the aim of fighting for better wages, increasing child care subsidies and eliminating the additional tuition that international students have to pay.

Thousands On Strike Across UC Campuses

Tyler Simms | Staff Writer

Students, workers and faculty have organized a strike across University of California (UC) campuses throughout the state with the aim of fighting for better wages for graduate students who work at the university, increasing child care subsidies for students with children and eliminating the additional tuition that international students have to pay.

Hundreds of people attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) rally, with the mantra of the protestors being "seven percent don't pay the rent" in reference to the University's offer to raise current wages by seven percent. The strikers believe this increase to be insufficient and have gone as far to allege that the negotiations are in bad faith and unlawful. One of the leading organizers Desmond Fonseca, a student researcher at UCLA, said that the catalyst for the strike was months of unproductive and unsuccessful bargaining with the college. "What the unlawful bargaining is doing is delaying the process of getting a fair contract and that's why we're out here, as an escalation, to show the University that what it's doing isn't right," he said.

Fonseca, while not surprised by the turnout for the strike, was impressed by what it actually looked like. "When I saw the legion of people walking down Westwood Boulevard, that's when it really hit me what our power was.” "48,000 academic student workers/employees across 4 different bargaining units and 3 different unions are struggling for fair pay and for fair compensation, living compensation for the work that we do. The work that we do is making the University of California allegedly the number one public university in the world and we just believe that our work should be treated as such."

According to Fonseca, the strikers are seeking the elimination of non-residential supplemental tuition, increased child-care subsidies and wage increase from a current base pay of $24,000 to $54,000 for student employees. “This isn't about financial impasse, it's about an impasse of will, it's about impasse of intentions, University of California's intentions are poor, they can afford it, it's not about whether or not they can afford it, it's about the actions they are willing to take," he said.

Fonseca believes that this strike will force the University to negotiate and stated that there is no intention to stop until the demands of the workers are met. "The next step is staying out here until we get what we deserve and more specifically until the University of California ceases its unfair labor practices and bargains in good faith, because once they start bargaining in good faith we believe we can come to an agreement on a contract, Fonseca said."

Over a week into the strike, the protests and negotiations with the University of California are still ongoing, with some classes being canceled and normal academic routine being actively disrupted. It remains to be seen whether or not the strikers' goals will be achieved with the University seemingly entrenched in its stance.

Donation food for the "Giving Thanks(giving)" on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, in Santa Monica, Calif. Dean of Institutional Advancement and SMC Foundation President Dr. Lizzy Moore directs volunteers. Volunteers restock pumpkin pies at the "Giving Thanks(giving)" drive.

Volunteers carrying donations at the drive thru at the "Giving Thanks(giving)" drive.

Photos Daniel De Anda | The

Giving, Giving, Giving!

Marlene Herrera | News Editor

The Santa Monica College Foundation hosted the day-long “Giving Thanks(giving)” event on Tuesday as part of its Basic Needs program and provided fresh groceries to 1,100 students experiencing food insecurity. Students were able to either walk up to collect their groceries by Pico Boulevard or by drive-thru by Prairie Street down to Lot 1.

The only requirement for reserving a meal for either Tuesday's groceries hand off or Wednesday's warm food pick up was to be a current enrolled student. Once students sign in, they are handed either a turkey, kosher turkey, or a vegan loaf along with a tote provided by the Bodega filled with groceries.

After being informed by a counselor to sign up for the “Giving Thanks(giving)” grocery giveaway early October, second-year Ray Herrera, who plays defensive quarterback for the SMC Football team, collected his turkey and grocery bag Tuesday morning. Herrera said, “inside the tote bag I got a pie, bread, apple cider, fruits, carrots, potatoes, onions, turkey, cold butter, everything I would use.”

Herrera is one of the many students who used the free one-way ride provided by Lyft ride vouchers to students for this particular event commuting back to Inglewood near the Forum with his Thanksgiving groceries.

In a press release, SMC Superintendent and President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery said that more than 50 percent of students at SMC are challenged to fulfill their academic ambitions due to experiencing food and housing insecurities.

“We at least, through this event, want to give people a chance to know that they are not alone, that we are standing with them, to help them at the holiday time to have a brighter moment and to take the issues of where that particular meal is coming from off of their literal plates to give them all of the things that are traditional for a Thanksgiving meal,” she said in an interview with the Corsair.

Donations can be made online at the SMC Foundation website, and those interested can contact Tessa Cavenah, the Development Director of the SMC Foundation.