UC Proposes Patient and Student Services Cuts across the State; AFSCME Fights Back!!!

We are witnessing a pivotal moment for the economy of California. UC executives are pushing to cut services to patients, increase tuition for students, and hurt countless California families by slashing the hours of over 150, 000 UC workers. Executives are rushing to cut essential services without showing to the public that the cuts are necessary. In fact, UC workers requested budget information over 9 months ago. To date, UC executives have blocked this information—what are the executives hiding? Despite UC executives lack of transparency, there is plenty of evidence to show that with the right priorities, we can preserve essential student services, patient care, and research despite the drop in state funding. UC Hospitals are making record profits, over the last year UC executives have received record pay increases and bonuses, and UC maintains $5.5 billion dollar reserve fund. UC executives are again acting with no accountability to its patients, its students, and the people of California who they are supposed to be serving. At today’s meeting, UC Regents will be voting on whether to give President Mark Yudof emergency powers to slash budgets, programs, and staff. We need more accountability, not less! This is why AFSCME Local 3299 is supporting the campaign to hold UC Executives accountable to California, and why today they rallied at the Hillcrest medical Center. Tomorrow you can join them for another protest in front of the Gilman Parking Structure at UCSD. See you there!