Members of the University Professional and Technical Employees at the University of California San Francisco are set to strike Nov. 20 and 21.
The union represents approximately 4,000 UCSF healthcare, research and technical workers, according to a UPTE news release shared with Becker's. Of these, approximately 2,040 are healthcare workers.
Union members voted to authorize a strike in October. The union and management began negotiating a new labor contract in June, according to the University of California. Heather Hansen, a spokesperson for the UC Office of the President, which is negotiating with the union on behalf of the UC system, told Becker's that in October, the university made a "significant" offer to boost salaries by "5% in year one of the contract and by 19% to 23% over the life of the proposed three-year agreement.
"UC has also proposed $75 or $100 monthly premium subsidies for UPTE employees and is eager to continue to negotiate these issues with the union. UC has also agreed to raise wages for all UPTE and AFSCME employees to $25 an hour by July 1, 2025."
In October, UPTE filed a complaint with the California Public Employment Relations Board, contending that UC failed to provide necessary information about staffing vacancies and unilaterally — and illegally — increased health insurance costs outside of bargaining. The union also alleged that staffing levels within the UC system have not kept pace with increased demand for services, resulting in a decline in patient care quality.
"To deliver the best possible care, we need UC to get serious about their legal obligations in bargaining by prioritizing patient care and solutions to the staffing crisis that's hurting our community," Matias Campos, a UCSF pharmacist and member of the UPTE bargaining team, said in the union release.
UC denied the union's allegations and said it would file a response that "outlines its good faith bargaining efforts throughout these negotiations."
More information about labor negotiations is available here and here.