Nearly 60,000 University of California workers represented by a pair of unions went on strike Wednesday amid continuing contract negotiations, with both unions alleging unfair labor practices and the university accusing them of spreading misinformation and failing to negotiate in good faith.
Roughly 37,000 UC service and patient care workers represented by AFSCME Local 3299 will take part in a two-day strike, starting Wednesday at 7 a.m., with picketing anticipated at all 10 UC campuses, including UC San Diego, and at UC medical facilities statewide.
"Instead of addressing the decline in real wages that has fueled the staff exodus at UC medical centers and campuses at the bargaining table, UC has chosen to illegally implement arbitrary rules aimed at silencing workers who are raising concerns while limiting their access to union representatives," AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant said in a statement announcing the strike. "UC's blatantly illegal actions are interfering with workers' free speech. It's time the university started listening to us and engaging in constructive negotiations rather than intimidation tactics. That's why workers will exercise their legal right to strike."
The union's contract with the university expired in 2024, and negotiations on a new deal have been ongoing for the past year.
Meanwhile, roughly 20,000 UC health care, research and technical professionals represented by University Professional and Technical Employees, UPTE-CWA Local 9119, launched a three-day strike Wednesday, also impacting all UC campuses and medical centers. UPTE's contract expired at the end of October, and negotiations have been ongoing for eight months, according to the union.
Dan Russell, UPTE's statewide president and chief negotiator, said in a statement the university "has refused to engage in meaningful dialogue or provide substantive counterproposals to nearly all of UPTE's proposals."
"We are forced to strike due to UC's persistent unfair labor practices, blowing the whistle as patient and research advocates on a staffing crisis that threatens patient care and critical research — all while the university funnels billions into capital projects and inflates top salaries by 40%," Russell said. "UPTE members will not allow UC to drag out negotiations indefinitely, and we have made it clear that we are more than willing to withhold our labor if that's what it takes to make UC take our concerns seriously. Instead of engaging with us, UC is silencing the very whistleblowers fighting for our patients."
UC officials issued a statement saying the university is "disappointed" in the unions' decision to strike.
"Both unions have chosen to focus their energy on strike preparation and amplifying misinformation rather than negotiating in good faith," according to the university. "We have offered each union meaningful, wage increases, health care premium reductions, and other offers to directly address the issues they've indicated are important to their members.
"In addition, we have also continuously bargained in good faith and are disappointed that AFSCME and UPTE remain unwilling to do the same. UPTE, who began strike preparations the same month contract negotiations began, failed to attend the most recent bargaining session and declared an impasse before responding to our offers. AFSCME has not responded to the university's proposals or counterproposals since May 2024.
"While both AFSCME and UPTE may say they want UC to return to the table, the successful resolution of these contracts depends on their willingness to engage in productive bargaining. The university will do everything possible to ensure strike impacts on patients, students, faculty and staff are mitigated."
