The University of California in Oakland has offered wage increases totaling $260 million to members of the Union of Professional and Technical Employees who work across its 10 campuses, six academic health systems and three nationally affiliated labs.
University representatives offered the wage increases during bargaining Aug. 16. If accepted, more than 18,000 UPTE-represented university employees would see pay raises of as much as 21% over three years, according to an Aug. 19 news release.
The changes would affect about 7,048 licensed healthcare professionals who provide clinical and medical services at the university's five medical centers, nine student health centers and numerous outpatient clinics. About 6,534 research support professionals and about 4,642 technical support professionals are also affected. The three units would receive a 5% increase effective July 1, followed by a 3% increase in 2026. Union members would also receive a 3% increase in 2027, contingent on California budget allocation.
UPTE-represented healthcare workers at the university also received a 3% wage increase on July 1 and a 2% step increase in January, according to the release. If approved by UPTE, the latest wage increases would bump the average systemwide annual compensation for UPTE-represented healthcare workers from around $154,000 to $182,000.
These increases come amid delays in the state's minimum wage increases for healthcare workers. The law, which will gradually raise the minimum wage for healthcare workers to $25 per hour through a series of annual increases, is delayed until at least October.
"These employees offer essential services to ensure the university delivers impactful patient experiences and enhances lives through education, research and healthcare," Missy Matella, associate vice president for systemwide employee and labor relations, said in the university's release, referring to the three units. "In a budget year with constraints across our system, we have prioritized our union members' compensation to reflect our appreciation and the value they provide."
The university began negotiating a new contract with the union in June. In addition to the pay increases, the university has offered UPTE members expanded sick leave provisions, expanded review processes for reclassification requests, additional holidays and an expanded definition of holiday time pay, among other benefits, according to the university's statement.
Dan Russell, UPTE's president and chief negotiator, who is an employee of UC Berkeley, shared the following statement with Becker's: "UPTE's healthcare, research and technical staff — many of whom currently make less than $25 an hour — provide life-saving patient care, cutting-edge research, and world-class education.
"The proposed 'raise' UC offered is actually a real wage cut — it doesn't make up for the inflation that has eaten away at wages since the pandemic and is well below the raises UC agreed to with its nurses. UC has offered no meaningful improvements for our members' other priorities like safer staffing or work-life balance, both of which help prevent burnout, nor have they responded in a timely fashion to our requests for information. Meanwhile, we see more healthcare professionals leave UC to the detriment of our patients. If this is a historic proposal from their perspective, that says something about how they value UPTE's essential employees."
More information about the university's bargaining units is available here. Additional information about negotiations is avaiable here.
Editor's note: This story was updated on Aug. 20.