Student Workers Casualty Of California Budget Cuts

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of California student assistants will lose their jobs just as the school year begins as part of a deal between the state and its largest public employees union.

The Sacramento Bee reported Monday that 1,600 state student assistant positions will be eliminated in September. The move is part of a deal between Gov. Jerry Brown and the Service Employees International Union Local 1000, which represents 95,000 state workers. State workers will also take 12 furlough days as part of the deal.

Part-time student workers perform a variety of jobs, including answering phones, and earn an average of $8,500 a year. Student worker pay last year was $13.4 million.

Tuition and fees at California's public college systems have tripled over the past decade as the job market has contracted.