University of California accused of not honouring contracts negotiated following massive strike

After tens of thousands of postdoctoral and graduate student researchers at the University of California (UC) system went on an unprecedented strike lasting more than a month they were ecstatic when they eventually won substantial pay increases and other benefits late last year. Their example went on to inspire other higher education workers across the US who also mobilised to seek better conditions, but the hopes have been tempered by the failure of some of these benefits to materialise at many UC institutions.

In December 2022, academic and postdoctoral researchers at UC’s 10 campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory won new five-year contracts that gave them a 20–23% raise, and graduate student researchers secured a 10% pay increase in the first year of their contract and 6.4% increases in each subsequent year. UC employees negotiated with their university through United Auto Workers (UAW).The first of the new raises for postdocs was to be implemented on 1 April and the new pay rate was supposed to go into effect on 1 May.