Nearly 40K UC Service and Patient Care Workers Will Sympathy Strike Alongside UPTE-CWA on April 1st

In a recently filed ULP charge against UC, UPTE alleged multiple acts of illegal bad faith bargaining, including UC’s refusal to bargain over wages for certain employees and the imposition of higher healthcare costs on UPTE represented workers.

“Our members know UC’s pattern of serial lawbreaking at the bargaining table, first hand,” said AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant. “It continues to impede constructive negotiations and a solution the affordability crisis and staff vacancy epidemic plaguing UC’s frontline workforce. That’s why our members will join their UPTE-CWA colleagues in solidarity on April 1st.”

In 2023, the UC CFO Nathan Brostrom told the UC Board of Regents that the university’s staff vacancy rate had tripled since before the pandemic, and more recent press reporting has detailed some of the impacts, including longer patient wait times at UC Hospitals. Research has highlighted a decline in real wages and a growing housing affordability crisis plaguing the university’s frontline workforce, leaving many to endure multi-hour commutes, or sleep in their cars. The share of this workforce that would be income eligible for limited government housing subsidies has nearly tripled since 2017.

Like UPTE-CWA 9119, AFSCME Local 3299 has been working to negotiate successor contracts for its members—nearly 40,000 UC Service and Patient Care Technical workers– for nearly a year. The existing contract for Patient Care workers expired on July 31st, and the contract for Service workers expired on October 31st. AFSCME 3299 members have mounted two systemwide ULP strikes of their own in recent months—in November 2024, and again last month.

“UC’s continued unlawful actions hurt both the workers it routinely praised as ‘heroes’ during the pandemic, and the students and patients we are here to serve,” added Avant. “It is past time for the university to change course, to respect the rights of the frontline workers who make this institution run and to finally bargain in good faith.”

AFSCME Local 3299 will be announcing picket times and locations for its solidarity strike with UPTE-CWA next week.

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AFSCME Local 3299 represents nearly 40,000 Service and Patient Care Technical workers at UC’s 10 campuses, 5 medical centers, numerous clinics, & research laboratories.

https://afscme3299.org/media/nearly-40k-uc-service-and-patient-care-workers-will-sympathy-strike-alongside-upte-cwa-colleagues-on-april-1st/