BERKELEY, Calif. (KCBS) -- Thousands of students and faculty are expected to walkout out of class at University of California campuses across the state on Thursday to protest higher fees and worker furloughs.
Anger over how the system is grappling with its largest budget deficit ever culminated in the massive protest. A $750 million cut from the state this year triggered proposals for a 31 percent fee hike and reduced classes.
“There’ s a serious crisis of priorities on the part of the UC regents because they are not taking from the executive compensation. They’re not taking from the highest paid workers,” said student Isaac Miller.
KCBS' Holly Quan reports
Two UC labor unions are staging one-day strikes in conjunction with the student walkout.
Dan Mogulof, a spokesman for UC Berkeley, acknowledged there's a lot of anger out there over the budget cuts but said teachers do have a responsibility to notify students in advance if classes are cancelled, and to adhere to cover all the material in the syllabus.
Several pickets across the Cal campus began at 6 a.m. Mogulof did not expect there to be a need for extra police patrols because of the protests.
(jro)
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