Enough is enough. Your UPTE bargaining team has called for a strike vote.

On Friday, October 11, UPTE filed an unfair labor practice charge in response to UC’s bad faith bargaining and illegal plan to implement unlimited healthcare cost increases while we are bargaining. UC currently pays 76-95% of monthly healthcare premiums on Kaiser & UC Blue & Gold plans, thanks to the $25 annual limit we won in our last contract.

After significant increases in 2024, this saved up to $224/month compared to non-union employees. By proposing to remove the cap, UC wants the ability to shift up to $2,451.37 per month in costs to us - numbers that are likely to increase dramatically in 2025 and beyond.

What UC is proposing in bargaining:

• No limit on healthcare premium increases

• $100 subsidy for Pay Band 1, $75 subsidy for Pay Band 2 (after their increases)

Some of what UC is planning to implement outside of bargaining in 2025:

• 9% increase in cost on pay bands 1 and 2 (those making less than $140,000)

• 11% increase in cost on pay bands 3 and 4 (those making more than $140,000)

• CORE PPO no longer no-cost (premium cost not announced)

At last week's bargaining session, UC proposed to remove the current $25 cap on annual healthcare premium increases on Kaiser and Blue & Gold Plans in exchange for a $100 and $75 subsidy for those in Pay Bands 1 and 2, respectively.

Days before, UC revealed that they are planning 9-11% premium increases for 2025, alongside increases in co-pays and a new 30% coinsurance fee for specialty drugs of up to $150/prescription.

This subsidy might provide a benefit to those in pay bands 1 and 2 in 2025 but would increase rates by up to $126/month for those on pay bands 3 and 4 and allow UC to shift an unlimited amount of their cost onto everyone in subsequent years. 

With just a month before our contracts expire, UC is not only trying to keep our pay below inflation, they are trying to give themselves a free hand to push us even further and further behind each year by offsetting healthcare premium costs on us.

There is no question that UC’s healthcare proposal would deepen the recruitment and retention crisis. Sign a strike pledge now to let UC know you are ready to stand with nearly 7,000 other UPTE members who have already pledged to strike.

We are now just a month away from our the expiration of our contracts. Instead of taking our concerns, our testimony, or our demands seriously, UC continues bargaining in bad faith and commits other unfair practices outside of bargaining.

One of UC's most egregious unfair labor practices is their failure to bargain in good faith over our demands that impact staffing levels. On April 12, 2023, we requested information that would help us better understand the depths of the recruitment and retention crisis, such as the number of vacant positions in UPTE job titles across the state. 18 months later, we have yet to receive any of this information.

Why is UC withholding this data? Do they not want the public to know how many budgeted healthcare providers, researchers, and technical positions are being left empty while patient care, research, and students suffer?

Enough is enough. After 4 months of bargaining, we are now just a month away from our contracts being expired. Instead of listening to your demands, concerns, and testimony, UC continues bargaining in bad faith and commits other unfair practices outside of bargaining.

As we prepare to capitalize on our collective strength in the workplace, and to leverage that power for a new contract, we must also endeavor to “organize” and mobilize our communities to apply maximum pressure on UC. 

This year, our union is beginning to identify and endorse “UPTE Champions” to represent our interests and fight for our members in public offices across the state. The candidates who earned our endorsement demonstrated a commitment to our values, articulated a vision of working collaboratively to hold UC accountable, and have pledged to utilize their office to pursue bold legislative solutions to support working families and union households. 

For a complete listing of UPTE’s endorsed candidates, please visit upte.org/endorsements to view information on the candidates and to learn about how we can mobilize our union to engage in the civic process. 

“For too long UC has operated under the perception of impunity, investing significant resources to lobby the State Legislature for their own means. It’s time that we change this dynamic, and elect champions that have the conviction to fight for our members, to push back against UC, and to codify transformational policies that support our work and enhance our lives,” said Amy Fletcher, a Staff Research Associate 4 at UC Davis who is also UPTE’s Chapter Chair and statewide Treasurer. “It’s time for us to ‘organize’ local and state governments to support our workers, our students, and our communities and reset UCs priorities.”

College of the Sequoias Adjunct Faculty Association/University Professional and Technical Employees (COSAFA/UPTE) members ratified a new contract. In September, COSAFA/UPTE’s bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with the administration and the Board of Trustees at College of the Sequoias. Now, it goes to the Board of Trustees for a final vote.

“We are thrilled to announce a significant victory—our collective power, including each and every part-time faculty member, has led to ratifying a new contract with the administration and the Board of Trustees at College of the Sequoias,” expressed Danielle Alberti, president of College of the Sequoias Adjunct Faculty Association/UPTE, Sam Brookshire, vice president of the COSAFA/UPTE chapter, and Charles Slaght, the COSAFA/UPTE chapter’s secretary-treasurer. “That success is a testament to our unity and determination in fighting for fair pay, better working conditions, and improved job security, all of which are key achievements of our new contract.”

The new contract includes several substantial financial and non-financial improvements for part-time faculty. Among the financial gains are a 2.07 percent hourly rate increase retroactive to August 1 and the addition of longevity steps at 10, 15, and 20 years of service.

"Remember, it’s our collective strength that helped us achieve our new contract,” continued Danielle. “Together, we can continue building a stronger, more inclusive union that represents the goals and priorities of every COSAFA/UPTE member at College of the Sequoias.”

Our current contract negotiations center on a theme of "Resetting UC's Priorities." While pleading poverty at the bargaining table with us, the UC Regents have awarded huge raises to top executives and approved the purchase of additional ammunition and military equipment.

At the same time, they're pursuing proposals in our negotiations that would dramatically restrict the rights of our members to advocate for improved working conditions and outlaw our ability to gather and protest in front of or near our workplaces.

Regarding the free speech restrictions, UC has used the recent Palestine protests and a legislative request for a report on its speech policies as a "Trojan horse" of sorts to push through radical and unprecedented limitations on speech without proper bargaining—a clear violation of the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA).

"These proposed restrictions are not just alarming because of their clear illegality, but because they demonstrate just how out of touch the administration is from the challenges frontline workers face every day in serving our patients and students or advancing our research," said Matias Campos, a Pharmacist at UCSF and UPTE's systemwide Executive Vice President. 

“It’s disappointing that UC and LBNL are focused on curtailing our fundamental rights to free speech and collective action rather than investing in the people responsible for the important work we do both at the Berkeley Lab and across the University of California system as a whole,” said Eduardo de Ugarte, a Graphic Designer and UPTE’s Chapter Chair at LBNL. 

UPTE's bargaining team was back at the table with the University of California on September 10 and 11 at UC Santa Barbara. UC continues to reject UPTE's proposals regarding pay, reclassification, work-life balance, staffing, and job security.

"College counseling today isn't about choosing a career or adjusting to being away from home. It's about keeping students alive and helping them get an education for a better future. It makes me wonder what UC is prioritizing if not student wellbeing and education," said Dr. Lily Clark, Counseling Psychologist.

When questioned, management's bargaining team has offered little or no explanation for rejecting proposals - even those that would cost the University little to nothing, such as improved rights to vacant positions or additional unpaid leave.

Fortunately, we know that UC has the resources to correct all of these issues. Our strikes in 2018/2019 and those by UAW academic workers in 2022 show that UC can be convinced to make the changes that we deserve. Join thousands of your colleagues and sign a strike commitment card today at upte.org/strike.

During August, UPTE members at every UC campus and medical center across the state hosted mass meetings to share bargaining updates and talk about the importance of getting strike-ready. In a powerful display of our solidarity, thousands of healthcare, research, and technical workers came out to participate and sign their strike commitment pledges.

UC can’t pretend that they don’t know or understand our issues. At every bargaining session, members have shown up in force to pack the room in support of our demands. 

We’ve shared first-hand testimony in support of our demands—the researcher who schedules their lunch around when the food bank truck is close to their worksite because they can’t afford to survive on what UC is paying them, the campus mental health clinician who worries about having enough staff to work with students struggling with stress or even suicidality, and more.

We have the power together to win this contract, but we won’t win it just because your bargaining team members are arguing at the table. We have to win it through collective action. If you haven’t already, sign your strike commitment pledge today at upte.org/strike.

The inpatient rehab therapists at UCSF Parnassus have secured a significant victory regarding their weekend work schedules. Previously required to work two weekend days every five weeks, these dedicated healthcare workers will now only need to work one weekend day per month. The change follows a coordinated effort by the therapists, who highlighted the impact of the demanding schedule on their work-life balance through strategic data collection and engagement with management.
“We realized that after thinking about the actual problem, it was more like we’re not doing our best at this moment to make the most of our resources,” explained Amanda Chow, a Physical Therapist 3 of almost five years at UCSF Health. “Ultimately, if we don’t have a proper schedule, then, at the end of the day, that impacts patient care."

After a march on the boss last year, during which UCSF healthcare workers demanded a substantive change to the weekend schedule policy, UPTE members once again escalated the issue with management. Their latest example of collective action involved them presenting their findings as a united front, detailing data points showing better patient outcomes, preventing severe burnout, and higher morale within the department.

After the joint effort by the inpatient rehab therapists, management acquiesced to the workers’ demands and changed the weekend schedule policy. The new schedule for inpatient rehab therapists is set to take effect in October, marking a significant step forward for UCSF healthcare professionals who must balance the demands of their critical work with their personal lives.