Media that empowers working people – that's how we build a More Perfect Union.

Don't Miss a Video!

Access our exclusive reporting and rapid response actions directly in your inbox, so you don’t miss a beat in the fight for working people nationwide.

Be a part of a community backing up independent journalism with action.

Ideas

Have a story to tell or idea to share?
Email [email protected]n.us
© 2021 More Perfect Union Action

Together we can build power for working people.

We’re asking questions that really matter, and telling the stories of people who really need to be seen and heard.

You can support our work by donating today.

Amount

Make It Monthly

Don't Miss a Video!

Access our exclusive reporting and rapid response actions directly in your inbox, so you don’t miss a beat in the fight for working people nationwide.

Be a part of a community backing up independent journalism with action.

UC San Diego Creates a Housing Crisis for Graduate Student Workers

The university has put the burden of their mortgage on the backs of graduate student workers.

YouTube Thumbnail

Graduate student workers at The University of California San Diego are demanding housing justice. Workers earn poverty wages and the vast majority struggle to afford rent. Many have no option besides university-funded housing. Now, the university is spiking rents by 85 percent.

UC President Mike Davis makes $890,000 a year. His Chancellors receive $500,000+. They recently received $100,000+ raises. Meanwhile, the university pays the graduate student workers just $2000-$3000 per month. With little income, student workers now face a university-created housing crisis.

90 percent of UCSD grad student workers consider themselves “rent-burdened.” This means 30 percent or more of their income goes toward their rent. Some workers reported that 40 percent of their income goes toward rent.

“In order to afford working here and teaching the people that attend this university, I had to live in an illegal shed in someone’s backyard,” says one graduate student worker.

UCSD students organized with United Auto Workers to fight poverty wages and supreme rent spikes.

“The university shouldn’t exploit the love for research and not paying us a living wage just because we love to do it,” says student researcher Raymundo Miranda.

The United Auto Workers union now represents nearly 50,000 academic workers nationwide.

The Latest

EXCLUSIVE: Starbucks Illegally Withheld Raises & Tips from Union Workers, NLRB Says
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
The FTC Wants To Ban Tough-To-Cancel Gym and Cable Subscriptions
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
We Sat Down With The First Democratically Elected President of UAW
Read More
SVB Executives May Have Delayed Action for Maximum Bonus Payments, New Evidence Suggests
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
We Uncovered Why Trains Keep Derailing
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
The Ugly Side of Modeling
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
The Gory Truth Behind Elon Musk’s Texas Takeover
Read More
Major Rail Companies Steer Donations to Republicans After Ohio Train Derailment
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
We Went to East Palestine: What We Saw May Shock You
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
What’s Really Behind Eggflation?
Read More
Stock Buybacks: Good for Warren Buffett, Bad for Working People
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
Why Air Travel Sucks (And Might Get Worse)
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
Inside the Eastern State Penitentiary Union Drive
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
Blackstone’s Evil Scheme to Profit Off Every American Crisis
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
Who Is Behind the Supreme Court Case Attempting to Kill Student Debt Relief?
Read More
In Midst Of Union Busting, Starbucks Covertly Plans To Give Away $20 Billion To Wealthy Shareholders
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
Michigan Could Become The First State In Decades To Repeal Right To Work.
Read More
Republicans Waging War on CFPB Have Received Millions in Donations from Banking Industry
Read More
YouTube Thumbnail
Disney World’s Not-So-Magic Kingdom
Read More
Norfolk Southern Boosted Shareholder Payouts 4,500%, Slashed Workforce 33% Prior To Ohio Disaster
Read More