Monica Martinez, a member of the AFSCME Local 3299 bargaining team, said one of the union’s demands is more affordable housing for UC workers. Martinez criticized the UC’s investments in Blackstone, a private equity firm, saying it contributes to the spike in local rent prices.

“The University of California invested $7 billion of my pension fund to Blackstone,” Martinez said. “Take those $7 billion and invest it to actually build housing for the people that work here for you, which they do for upper management and staff and faculty and CEOs.”