student Workers,

A resource booklet for UCB graduate student parents,

those considering having kids while in grad school,
and everyone interested in helping push the University
to become a more supportive place for student parents.
student parents
(2014/15)
intro
Graduate school can be a difcult, even hostile, place to
bear or raise a child. Formal support for student parents
remains limited, and informal norms or arrangements
in our departments ofen discourage people from having
children and penalize those who are caring for kids.
Nevertheless, grad students, other workers, and feminist
groups at the University of California have organized over
multiple generatons to make campus a less hostile place
for student parents. Tose raising kids while in school
now have some resources to draw upon. Tis booklet
presents some of the resources that should be available to
current graduate student parents. Its defnitely not
comprehensive, and may not be entirely up-to-date. If
you are looking for information about something that
isnt covered here, a good place to start would be the
Berkeley Parents Network, an online support and
information-sharing project. Tere is also a contact list
on the back cover.
Tis booklet is meant as well to serve as an introduction
to, and invitation to join, ongoing organizing campaigns
around issues of concern to student parents, particularly
campaigns being crafed by the student workers union
(UAW 2865) and the Afordability Committee of the
Village Residents Association (VRA). Te union recently
made progress in negotiations around issues afecting the
lives of student parents, but ongoing organizing will be
necessary to realize and to expand upon these victories.
Housing
intro
Student parents can apply for family housing at Univer-
sity Village, which, despite recent rent increases, remains
marginally less expensive than most housing in the area:
housing.berkeley.edu/livingatcal/studentsfamilies.html
Te VRA Afordability Committee recently published
a report on the conditions of life for renters at Univer-
sity Village, which makes clear the continuing need for
grad student housing subsidies and other forms of sup-
port: www.ucberkeleyvra.org. As the report notes: Of the
households surveyed in UC Berkeleys family housing,
39% survive on less than $20,000 a year, while a living
wage in our area is $48,288.
Te VRA is also petitioning to prevent a rent increase at
University Village. Sign the petition here: chn.ge/1v6SF1g
Childcare
Many student parents coordinate informally with each
other to share childcare responsibilities or costs. Tere
are also a few childcare resources for student parents.
Te university ofers an $8,000 dollar grant to graduate
students who live with dependent children and
demonstrate fnancial need. Te application is here:
grad.berkeley.edu/fnancial/student_family.shtml.
During contract negotiations last year, the UC student-
workers union (UAW 2865) won an increased childcare
subsidy for student parents of children up to age 12.
When employed as GSIs, readers, or tutors, student
parents can get $1350 per semester and $900 per summer
session: uaw2865.org/member-resources/childcare/
And in response to agitation by non-unionized graduate
student researchers, university management has extended
the childcare subsidy to GSRs. Te application is here:
grad.berkeley.edu/fnancial/student_family.shtml.
University management also just this year instituted a
subsidized backup childcare program. Details are here:
grad.berkeley.edu/backupchildcare/about.php.
Tere is a Day Care Co-op at University Village:
ucvillagecoop.weebly.com
Finally, there is a childcare center on campus, which
ofers subsidized rates depending on fnancial need:
housing.berkeley.edu/child/facstaf/
healthcare
Childcare
Health coverage for dependents remains prohibitively
expensive at UC Berkeley. Coverage for a spouse or
domestic partner is $2,130 dollars per semester, while
coverage for a child is approximately $1,845 dollars. Its
necessary to enroll by Sept. 15 for the fall semester, or by
Feb. 15 for the spring semester. Details are here:
uhs.berkeley.edu/students/insurance/BeneftsDependents.shtml
Te UC student-workers union did not succeed in winning
dependent care subsidies for student workers in the latest
contract negotiations; this campaign will be ongoing.
Because of changes mandated by the Afordable Care Act,
UCBs student health insurance plan now covers more
prenatal and preventative care. For details, see:
uhs.berkeley.edu/students/insurance/BeneftsBerkeley.shtml
Pregnancy
Because we work part time, student workers dont qualify
for leaves under the Family and Medical Leave Act. But
people who are unable to work for a period of time
because of pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions are
entitled to disability leave, and to retain their health
insurance during the leave. Its necessary to consult with
a doctor early on in the pregnancy to be sure you will
receive such support. Salaried ASEs who are birth
parents are also provided in the contract a bit more than
six weeks of paid leave and two weeks unpaid; for non-
birth parents, its four weeks paid and two unpaid. But
many GSIs simply are denied positions when they are
pregnant. Tis practice may constitute pregnancy-related
discrimination. If you are concerned about this, you can
contact a union representative about your rights to paid
leave.
nursing & Food
Te nursing support program at UCB provides trainings
and on-campus nursing rooms w/ pumps. To get a key
code for the nursing rooms, contact Jackie Armstrong:
uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaf/healthmatters/breastfeeding.shtml
A new systemwide UC policy, which is also echoed by
new contract language, declares that lactating employees
will have access to appropriate lactation and refrigeration
space near to their workspace. But this access remains
spotty at UCB. If you need more adequate lactation or
storage space, you can contact a department
admininistrator; if they do not meet your needs, you can
contact a union representative.
Te UC student health insurance plan now covers pumps:
uhs.berkeley.edu/students/insurance/pdf/Berkeley_SHIP_
Beneft_Booklet_2013-2014.pdf.
Te Bear Pantry, located in the Cesar Chavez Center at
UCB, provides food packages to student parents who are
facing a shortage of food during the semester. You can
contact Koko Mulder at the Pantry at: 510-776-8486. Te
Alameda County Food Bank (510-635-3663) and
Berkeley Pantry (510-525-2280) are open to residents.
Tere are two kinds of food assistance administered by
the state that student parents may be eligible for. To
determine whether you are eligible for Food Stamps, visit:
https://www.mybeneftscalwin.org/web/consortium/
home#eligible.
Contacts
If you have questions about the rights and protections
to which you are entitled as a student worker or student
parent, you can contact an elected head steward of the
UC student-workers union. Additionally, if you have any
interest in learning more about, or getting involved in, the
campaigns around student parent issues that the union is
working on, please contact a UCB head steward. Te
current union ofcers, along with their email addresses,
are listed here: uaw2865.org/about/structure/elected-ofcers/
To fnd out about upcoming events, see:
berkeleyuaw2865.wordpress.com
If you want to contact the Village Residents Association,
email Caitrin Connolly-Olszewski: cconno4@gmail.com.
To learn more about the Berkeley Spouses and Parents
group, email: vspa@berkeley.edu or visit:
spousesandpartners.berkeley.edu
To learn more about the
UC Berkeley Student Parent
Association for Recruitment
and Retention (SPARR),
you can call: 510-643-5729
or see: ocf.berkeley.edu/~spa/
Pictured on the cover: Heather
and Punit Gandhi, w/ their children,
Anula and Nayana. Photograph by:
Jesse Livezey and Kevin Gutowsi.