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University of California graduate students were thrilled last December when they won what they thought were big pay increases after an unprecedented strike. Most of them could expect a 10% salary increase the first year of the new three-year contract, the university system said. But students contend it hasn’t worked out that way.

Graduate students on some of the academic system’s 10 campuses are accusing their universities of wage theft, claiming they’re using sleight of hand to credit them with fewer hours than they’re actually working to offset the pay hike. Some say they’ve been underpaid by $4,000 or more in the first eight months of this year.

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The university system insists it’s following the contract negotiated last December with the United Auto Workers, the union that represents UC academic workers. But STAT’s review of student appointment letters and internal departmental emails lend support to some of the claims of graduate students in the life sciences. These records show student salaries can vary significantly in ways that don’t seem to match their actual workload. The documents also show what students argue are convoluted attempts by graduate programs to address their concerns without actually raising their wages.

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