Students and workers crowded outside of the Faculty Club to protest low wages for workers on Thursday, Jan. 31. The protest, which was one of many that took place across the UC system started at 4 p.m. and lasted roughly two hours.

The Faculty Club was holding a private welcome event for the new Chancellor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion when the protest started. Co-Campus Organizing Director for A.S. External Affairs Bruno Huizar said the protesters wanted to have access to UCSD administrators who were attending the event.

Huizar said there were about 15 UCSD Police Department patrol vehicles and a police helicopter at the event to ensure safety.

Pension cuts are a growing concern for many UC employees — currently, the annual pension of an average UC worker is $19,000 after 20 years of work. In July, current employees will be expected to give 6.5 percent of their salaries to the new pension plan; new workers are expected to give 7 percent. Members of the University of California’s Service and Patient Technical Workers union (AFSCME 3299) and UC students say that $19,000 is not nearly enough money to sustain the costs of living.

Huizar said that the workers at the UC system are understaffed, underpaid and therefore overworked. They get injuries from too much work.

“They literally cannot put food on the table or afford healthcare,” Huizar said. The AFSCME contract expired on Jan. 31 at midnight. AFSCME 3299 has been negotiating a new contract, but their demands for better wages and pensions have been unmet.

Many of the signs at the UCSD protest addressed UC President Mark Yudof’s annual pension of $230,000 after only five years in the job. A flyer handed out during the protest said that 194 top executives for the UC system will received lifetime pension payouts of $10,000 per month and as much as $2.9 million during retirement —these do not include additional executive supplemental benefits.

Three other similar protests at UCSD also took place on Thursday.

Huizar stressed that the workers care very deeply about the students. He explained that the UC workers and students have a working relationship where they support each other. Workers join students in protesting rising tuition, and students help workers when they have problems, like unsafe workplaces.

“The workers really care about us students,” Huizar said. “They make our space livable, and they empower us. They make sure students are cared for.”

Sixth College fourth year Chitra Subrahmanyam was walking to the bus when she saw the police at Peterson Hall. She did not know what was happening, so she went over to the protest where she saw some friends who explained the situation to her.

“I think it’s very sad,” Subrahmanyam said. “It’s clear where wages are going and what the administration’s priorities are.”

The union is still trying to bargain with the UC administration. They have not yet made any headway.

“This is the start of a very long battle,” Huizar said. “It will not end until the workers get higher wages.”