University of California medical, service workers announce open-ended strike, alleging unfair labor practices

By Carlos E. Castañeda

Thousands of University of California workers will walk off their jobs next month in what their union calls the first-ever open-ended strike over unfair labor practices across the UC system.

AFSCME 3299, which represents 42,000 UC service and patient care technical workers, announced on Wednesday that workers will strike on May 14 at all 10 UC campuses and five medical centers, along with other research labs and clinics operated by the university. 

The union said that its labor action stems from the university’s refusal to bargain over housing aid for its lowest-paid workers and the imposition of contract terms such as higher healthcare rates, despite legal requirements to bargain over such changes. AFSCME has said its low-wage workers have been priced out of their communities and has also alleged that UC has withheld necessary information during negotiations.

The employees involved include frontline workers at UC Medical Centers, such as medical and surgical assistants, respiratory therapists, and licensed vocational nurses. The service workers include custodians, groundskeepers, food service workers, drivers and security personnel across the UC system. 

The open-ended nature of the strike and its designation as a response to unfair labor practices is an escalation in tactics by the union, which conducted two-day strikes against UC in February 2025 and November 2024. An indefinite strike makes it difficult for the university to budget for the cost and duration of replacement labor, while the unfair labor practice invoked by the union means strikers cannot be permanently replaced, unlike in economic strikes. 

AFSCME 3299’s labor action is an acknowledgment that the short-term strikes have not advanced the union’s position in its negotiations with the university. 

“For more than 2 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,” said AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant in a prepared statement. “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.”

AFSCME 3299’s workers have been without a contract since 2024, and the union says they are among the lowest-paid workers in the UC system. It also noted that while the highest-paid employees can obtain sub-market rate home loans through university programs, its lower-paid employees are generally not eligible.

In a press statement, the University of California said it was disappointed in the union’s decision to move toward an open-ended strike, claiming the two sides have made “significant” progress at the bargaining table. 

“Since bargaining began in January 2024, UC has increased its proposal from roughly 25% total pay growth to 32.3%, while adding up to a $1,000 ratification bonus and strengthening year-over-year wage increases,” the university said. “UC has also added longevity payments for long-serving employees, and new caps and offsets to help manage rising health care costs. This represents substantial movement and a good-faith effort to respond directly to employee priorities.”

UC also said it “categorically” disagreed with the claims of unfair labor practices, and their merit will be determined by the state’s Public Employment Relations Board in the coming weeks.

AFSCME 3299 said it would provide details of picket times and locations next month.