UCLA and UC Davis workers go on strike over Gaza war protest response

(KYMA, KECY/NBC) - University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and UC Davis workers are going on strike over UC's response of the pro-Palestinian protests.

The union that represents thousands of campus workers has ordered a rolling strike systemwide over treatment at pro-Palestinian protests.

Striking workers allege the UC system mishandled its response to pro-Palestinian protests and encampment crackdowns on the campus.

UCLA and UC Davis has been a part of an ongoing encampment across the country, calling for a ceasefire to the Israel-Hamas War, which started last October, and demanding colleges to divest funding to Israel.

Last month, pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian supporters at UCLA held dueling protests, which led to fights after breaching a barrier meant to separate the the two groups. In response, law enforcement was called in to clear out the encampment and made several arrests.

UC Davis graduate workers began preparing to strike on the Quad Tuesday morning as this is day 23 of the current encampment on the UC Davis campus.

There is no word yet on how many employees will walk off the job or how it will impact students who are getting ready for finals.

Another UC school, UC Santa Cruz, went on strike last week to defend the free speech rights of the protesters, with members of United Auto Workers (UAW) 4811 participating in the strike.