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

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

On November 17, strikes were held at UC Berkeley, UC Davis Campus, UC Davis Med Center, UC Irvine Campus, UC Irvine Med Center, UCLA Campus, UCLA Ronald Reagan Med Center, UCLA Santa Monica Hospital, and UC Merced. For November 18, strikes will be held on UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, USCD Campus, UCSD Hillcrest Med Center, UCSD LA Jolla Med Center, UCSF Med Center Parnassus, UCSF Med Center Mission Bay, and UCSF Med Center BCHO. Strikes will be held at UC Law SF 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 stated that the university 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 receive up to $1500 per year in health care premium credits, the statement reported. The university also cited a wage increase proposal that was recently up forth that totaled 28% over 5 years, which 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 towards a fair and sustainable agreement that supports our employees and advances the University’s mission of service, education, and research,” the statement said.

Amidst the back-and-forth between the 2 organizations, AFSCME-represented employees express their anxieties around 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 unpaid parental leave for birth parents are among some of the benefits in the agreement. Additionally, 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 right to open positions, are also part of the agreement.⁴

References

1. Strike for a fair contract! News release. 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. News release. 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