More than 37,000 healthcare and service workers across the University of California (UC) system went on a two-day strike on November 20 and 21, alleging that UC illegally bargained in bad faith when negotiating wages and benefits for their workers. AFSCME Local 3299, the labor union representing them, filed formal charges with the state’s Public Employment Relations Board as a result, but the University remains steadfast in their claims that they negotiated justly.
“UC workers are not going to stand for this serial lawbreaking. Period,” said Todd Stenhouse, a spokesperson for AFSCME Local 3299.
AFSCME Local 3299 has been at the bargaining table since January of this year, asking for livable wages, housing stipends, and reasonable costs for their healthcare benefits. According to the union’s unfair labor practices filing, the UC system brought negotiators to the table with no power to negotiate, did not provide the union with legally required information on their proposals, and generally refused to bargain in good faith.
More than 500 of those on strike hailed from the UC Santa Barbara campus, which drew a smaller crowd due to its lack of a medical school. The group of dining hall workers, landscapers, and Student Health employees gathered on the picket line in front of Storke Tower over the two days.
“We fundamentally disagree with AFSCME’s claims of bad faith bargaining and characterization of unacceptable bargaining proposals,” UC said in a statement. “We are hopeful of a quick resolution.”
“During AFSCME’s last round of bargaining with UC, the union went on strike six times,” the University added. “Thus, AFSCME’s strike notice is not a surprise, but it is premature and is a disheartening development, nonetheless.”
“The ball is in their court,” Stenhouse concluded. “Honor your legal obligations.”
