UC academic workers strike enters fourth week

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-Thousands of academic employees remain on strike on 10 campuses.

Hundreds of them work as UCSB where they chalk up the issues to a lack of living wages and benefits.

Although the University of California system agreed to increase wages for post doctoral and academic researchers, they have not settled on a contract with student employees or student researchers

In an earlier statement UC said they were trying to prevent the strike from impacting students.

But students are crossing or passing by picket lines to get to class and finals before their winter breaks.

"I've seen a lot of people outside protesting when it comes to this with signs that say the UC is unfair and only one of my courses has actually been stopped altogether he all gave us like a good grade so i am not too upset about it but at the same time it has impacted a lot of people," said UCSB freshman Olayinka Bossa.

Those on strike say there has been push back from some undergrads but they believe their struggle will benefit those who  work their way through grad school someday.

''I am rent burdened, my colleagees are rent burdened we are paying like far to much our goal is to get that up to a level where we can afford to live in this place we work," said doctoral candidate and worker Micah Pedrick.

"If you think of how much money is spent on tuition, that tuition keeps going up and that money is going somewhere, but it is not going the people teaching the classesm" said doctoral candidate Joe Costello.

In the state capitol police cited workers holding a sit on Monday

Striking workers are organized and said they will picket daily in parking lots in the early mornings when students and staff arrive on campus and in other areas of campus until late afternoon.