AFSCME 3299 Workers Begin Strike at UC; Demand Better Labor Contract

[caption id="attachment_53975" align="aligncenter" width="300"] “By refusing to bargain in good faith, the University has made it clear that it does not value the frontline workers who clean its facilities, serve students food, and treat patients.”[/caption]

They are the ones who clean, serve meals, and ensure that the facilities of the University of California are spotless and operational. However, these workers believe their efforts are not rewarded by a university system that is one of the richest in the nation.

“AFSCME 3299 is a union that represents the frontline service and patient care workers who keep the UC running, such as food service workers, facilities workers, medical workers, and more. And yet, the UC refuses to properly compensate them. According to a recent report by the union, AFSCME members’ real wages have declined by as much as 8% since 2017, with their base pay standing at only $19/hour,” they stated in a post on social media announcing the strike that begins today and continues until tomorrow.

“By refusing to bargain in good faith, the University has made it clear that it does not value the frontline workers who clean its facilities, serve students food, and treat patients,” said AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant in the press release. “If UC won’t meet its most basic legal responsibilities to its employees, our members have made it clear that we are prepared to hold them accountable by exercising our legal right to strike.”

The union points out that while other workers at UC have been well-compensated, they continue to be ignored.

“At the same time, senior administrators have seen a 36% increase in real wages. Take UCLA’s next chancellor, Julio Frenk, for example. He has yet to begin his tenure, but he will receive a 39.9% raise over his predecessor for a salary of $978,904. The message could not be clearer–the UC would rather invest in its bureaucratic elites than its workers and students,” they say.

These workers face the challenges of living in one of the most expensive areas of the country. With these wages, it is difficult for them to afford decent housing and provide basic services for their families.

In an emailed statement to the Daily Bruin, UC Office of the President spokesperson Heather Hansen said the university does not believe they bargained in bad faith. She added that, while the union has condemned several of the University’s proposals, AFSCME 3299 has failed to offer any counter-proposals since May.

“AFSCME’s statements that the University has refused to bargain in good faith are unfounded, confusing and not consistent with the parties’ bargaining history,” Hansen said in the statement. “Despite our proposals, we have heard nothing from AFSCME, not even an acknowledgment of our proposals.”

On June 18, the University announced a wage proposal for AFSCME Local 3299 that would allow the lowest-paid employees to reach a minimum wage of $25 per hour by July 1 next year. In addition to the minimum wage increase, the UC offered to provide union members a wage increase of at least 5% in 2025.

However, AFSCME Local 3299 claimed in its ULP charge that the future wage increase’s dependency on the state budget is unfair, as its workers should not have to rely on the legislature’s allocation of finances to receive better pay.

“It was entirely unacceptable that bargaining unit members should have to depend on the whims of the Legislature to realize wage gains that they win in their CBAs (collective bargaining agreements),” the ULP charge said. “The University knew full well that its proposal would be unacceptable to the Union.”