A union representing workers at the University of California has announced an open-ended, system-wide strike to begin on May 14. It would be the first such strike in the history of UC Health, the university's academic health system.
The union, AFSCME Local 3299, said the demonstration will be held across all 10 of the University of California’s campuses as well as its medical centers, clinics, research laboratories and other sites. It represents 42,000 workers across the university, with a representative telling Fierce Healthcare that 25,000 of those are employed at a UC Health care facility or in a healthcare role.
The union members—service workers such as custodians and security personnel, as well as patient care professionals like medical assistants, MRI technicians and respiratory therapists—have been working without a contract since 2024. Its members, as well as those of two other unions, participated in a two-day strike last November to call attention to their negotiations.
“For more than two years, AFSCME 3299 has worked to negotiate successor agreements that address the acute affordability crisis facing the University’s frontline service and patient care workforce,” AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant said in Wednesday’s announcement. “Instead of bargaining in good faith, UC has imposed terms that amount to pay cuts and refused to bargain over the housing crisis that is most responsible for our members being forced to sleep in their cars and in homeless shelters. Since UC won’t meet its legal obligation to bargain in good faith, we have been left with no choice but to strike.”
The union described its members as among the lowest-paid workers across the organization, as well as the most vulnerable to cost-of-living increases across the state. It highlighted housing affordability as a key issue for its members, who it noted are not eligible for university housing programs that were expanded to higher-paid employees.
Other points of contention during negotiations, according to union bargaining updates, have centered on wage increases, contract duration, shift differentials and healthcare coverage costs.
By law, unions are required to give hospitals at least 10 days' notice before an unfair labor practice strike to allow the employer to implement staffing contingencies. AFSCME Local 3299 emphasized that it is giving university a full month warning to make those plans, and will voluntarily exempt “voluntarily exempted several dozen critical care workers from strike participation and … create a patient protection task force—a line of communication with UC hospitals—that will enable certain striking workers to support emergencies during the work stoppage if UC’s contingency plans are insufficient to meet patient needs.
The University of California, in response to a request for comment, pointed to an online statement in which it said it is "disappointed that AFSCME is moving toward an open-ended strike despite the significant progress made at the bargaining table."
Over the course of negotiations that began in January 2024, the university said it has increased its offer to include 32.3% total pay growth, a ratification bonus of up to $1,000, caps and offsets to manage healthcare costs and longevity payments for long-serving employees. It also "categorically" disagreed with the union's allegations of unfair labor practice as a basis for its strike.
"We remain committed to negotiating in good faith and reaching an agreement as quickly as possible so employees can begin receiving these benefits," the statement reads.
UC Health cares for 2.5 million patients annually. It is comprised of the University of California’s six academic medical centers— the UC Davis Medical Center, the UC Irvine Medical Center, the UCLA Medical Center, the UC San Diego Medical Center, the UCSF Medical Center and the non-acute UCR Health—their associated hospitals and care sites, and a network of 21 health professional schools. It comprises more than 5,000 licensed beds. A financial filing (PDF) for its combined medical centers outlines total operating revenue of nearly $25.9 billion and operating income of over $1.9 billion for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
The broader university’s 2024-2025 financial statement outlined $51.9 billion of total primary revenue and a $5.9 billion operating loss, though other net nonoperating revenues and other sources placed the organization at a $5.7 billion change in net position.
Last summer, UC San Diego Health laid off about 1.5% of its 14,000-person workforce. The organization attributed the move to financial pressures and regulatory uncertainty, though the justification was panned by AFSCME Local 3299 and other unions with affected members.
More recently, UCI Health announced a strategic restructuring that would trim 1% of its workforce, or about 150 people. Federal funding shifts, insurance reimbursement changes and patients' shift to outpatient care were cited for the changes.