AFSCME 3299 members strike on UC campuses, UPTE-CWA 9119 reaches tentative agreement

Nearly 2 years of continued bargaining efforts between the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 3299 and the University of California (UC) initially commenced, strikes will take place on November 17 and 18, 2025, at multiple UC locations.¹ The strikes follow a potential conclusion to recent bargaining efforts between University Professional and Technical Employees-Communications Workers of America (UPTE-CWA) 9119 and UC, with a tentative agreement reached by both parties on November 8, according to an announcement made by UPTE.²

On November 17, strikes were held at the following campuses and locations: University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Davis; UC Davis Medical Center; University of California, Irvine; UCI Medical Center; UCLA; Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center; UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center; and University of California, Merced. For November 18, strikes will be held at the following campuses and locations: University of California, Riverside; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of California San Diego; UC San Diego Hillcrest Medical Center; Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health; UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights; UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay; and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. Strikes will be held at UC Law San Francisco on both days.¹

The union states that it is striking on behalf of “livable wages that attract and retain staff, affordable health care, housing benefits that high earners already receive, and safe staffing to properly care for and serve our patients and students.”¹

In a statement, UC said it implemented key terms for its last, best, and final offer in July 2025. The offer followed “16 months of good-faith negotiations and completion of all state-required impasse procedures,” and consisted of all AFSCME-represented UC employees earning at least $25 an hour as of July 2025 and receiving up to $1500 per year in health care premium credits, the statement reported. The university also cited a wage increase proposal that was recently put forth, which totaled 28% over 5 years and included across-the-board and step increases.³

“Despite UC’s continued outreach, AFSCME has not presented any substantive counterproposals since April 2025. Absent AFSCME's engagement, the university cannot engage in meaningful negotiations for this critical workforce. Nonetheless, we remain hopeful and committed to working toward a fair and sustainable agreement that supports our employees and advances the university’s mission of service, education, and research,” the statement said.

Amid the back-and-forth between the 2 organizations, AFSCME-represented employees expressed their anxieties regarding insufficient compensation.¹ “I’m worried that more UC workers are going to end up homeless if something doesn’t change,” Ruth Zolayvar, a pharmacy tech at UCSD, told AFSCME. “I work 11-hour days, but even I’m behind on my rent and can’t afford the copays to see my doctor. It shouldn’t be this hard to survive.”

For UPTE-represented employees, ratification voting will be held through November 20, and has already received over 7500 votes, according to the union. The agreement includes raises of 8% or more with a January minimum of 2% step for 2025, with 7%, 6%, and 6% raises with the same minimum step for 2026, 2027, and 2028, respectively. Five percent across-the-board or $25 minimum raises would be implemented for 2025 and 2026, with 4% in 2027 and 2028. As for paid time off, an additional floating holiday, full holiday pay for exempt employees working shifts of 8 hours or more, and up to 12 months of unpaid parental leave for birth parents are among some of the benefits in the agreement. Additionally, as part of the agreement, unit representatives would be slated to increase to at least 1 per 100 workers, with a guaranteed “alternatives to layoffs” process required before layoffs, which includes the right to open positions.⁴

References

1. Strike for a fair contract! AFSCME 3299. November 6, 2025. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://afscme3299.org/blog/nov2025strike/

2. Vote YES to ratify our tentative agreement with the University of California! UPTE-CWA 9119. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://upte.org/vote

3. University of California statement on AFSCME negotiations and planned strike. University of California. November 14, 2025. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university-california-statement-afscme-negotiations-and-planned-strike

4. Reminder: No strike on Monday or Tuesday – vote to ratify our TA! UPTE-CWA 9119. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://upte.org/news/reminder-no-strike-on-monday-or-tuesdayvote-to-ratify-our-ta