Front-line workers for the University of California said they are tired of struggling to afford housing and other basic needs.
Thousands of workers formed picket lines on Wednesday at many of the UC campuses across the state.
They are demanding higher pay and equity in their current contract negotiations with the university system.
“It’s horrific. We do not make enough money to make ends meet. It’s the economy. It's everything," said Alicia Garcia, who works in patient registration at the Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center.
She joined dozens of coworkers on the picket line outside UC San Diego Health facilities in La Jolla.
Approximately 33,000 UC workers are represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union.
Their jobs include custodial work, medical billing and other frontline positions.
Dina Johnson is the operating room instrument coordinator at the Jacobs Medical Center. She is also a single mother of a son and daughter.
“With the wage that they have here, it’s not enough. Because if you have to work overtime every day just to make ends meet, and just to feed your family, it's not fair," Johnson said.
The union started negotiations for a new contract in January.
Workers want a minimum wage set of at least $25 an hour and an immediate 5% pay increase.
Their current contract was ratified in February 2020 just before COVID-19 shutdown.
The union also wants the UC to stop investing some of the employee pension money in the Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, a company known for high-priced housing which many workers can’t afford.
“They are making housing unaffordable. It is causing a burden on taxpayers in the form of increased homelessness and (forcing UC workers) to lean on the social system," said Pamela Cale, a UC San Diego Health inpatient medical coder.
In a written statement to KPBS, a university system spokesperson said:
"The University of California recognizes housing affordability is challenging for all Californians, including UC students, faculty, and staff. We are committed to recognizing our union-represented employees with competitive compensation packages as part of their employment. While UC has no control over statewide rents or housing costs, we know the cost of living in California is high...negotiations will continue until both sides reach mutually beneficial agreements."University of California Statement
The current contract with AFSCME Local 3299 is set to expire on July 31.
