40,000 patient care, technical workers launch 2-day UC strike

Nearly 40,000 patient care and technical workers began their two-day strike Monday, Nov. 17, at 19 University of California medical centers and campuses.

Hundreds of protesters showed up at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange and UC Riverside.

Three major unions had planned to strike Nov. 17-18 — making it the largest strike in UC’s history — but two of the labor groups reached tentative deals with the UC on Nov. 8 and 15.

Also see: 24,000 nurses with California Nurses Association reach deal with UC

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, which represents 37,481 workers, remains in talks with UC negotiators this week after failing to come to an agreement on their contract, which expired Oct. 31, 2024.

A top priority for AFSCME is to halt UC management’s alleged practice of short-staffing its facilities and cutting back on resources. The union also has raised concerns about UC spending billions acquiring new facilities and “lavishing exorbitant raises on its wealthiest executives and funding housing assistance programs” to help them buy “mansions or second homes” at the expense of frontline workers.

The other two unions reached tentative agreements this month.

On Nov. 15, the California Nurses Association, which represents nearly 24,000 nurses, reached a four-year agreement that includes “meaningful pay and benefit increases.”

On Nov. 8, the University Professional and Technical Employees-Communications Workers of America Local 9119, which represents 21,000 healthcare, research and technical professionals, reached a tentative agreement that provides a roughly 28% pay bump over the next four years, the “largest in the union’s history” since its inception in 1990.

UPTE-CWA began ratification voting last week, but results haven’t yet been released. CNA voting begins later this week.  Bargaining for all the contracts began in mid-2024 in advance of contract expirations on Oct. 31, 2024.

Negotiations with unionized workers comes at a tough time for UC’s medical facilities, which have been dealing with the economic challenges of rising healthcare and tuition costs at its schools and “uncertainty about federal funding” and “unprecedented financial challenges,” according to the Oakland-based UC.

“We are fighting for our contract now,” said Jeanette Obeji, a service worker with UC Riverside for six years, who was walking the picket line Monday. “Two of our sister unions have actually already gotten their contracts. I’m hopeful we’ll get one.”