A union representing more than 40,000 UC employees is set to begin an open-ended strike Thursday.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, which represents service, skilled craft and patient care workers, has repeatedly alleged that the UC has bargained in bad faith throughout contract negotiations. The union – which represents people who work in several support roles at UC Health facilities, dining halls and residential buildings – began negotiations in January 2024 and has struck five times since.
[Related: AFSCME Local 3299 announces indefinite strike to begin May 14]
UCLA Health, UCLA and David Geffen School of Medicine leadership are developing a plan to minimize operational disruptions due to the strike, said Darnell Hunt, the executive vice chancellor and provost, and Christine Lovely, the vice chancellor for campus human resources and chief people officer, in a Monday campuswide email.
“UCLA respects employees’ rights to engage in lawful, protected activity,” Hunt and Lovely said in the email. “The university is also planning to support continuity of instruction, research and essential services.”
Dining locations will be consolidated, and some BruinBus routes will be disrupted during the strike, a UCLA spokesperson said in an emailed statement. UCLA closed all dining halls besides De Neve Residential Restaurant, Epicuria at Covel and FEAST at Rieber and paused custodial operations during previous AFSCME Local 3299 strikes.
Some mail carriers might not deliver packages to UCLA during the strike, potentially delaying delivery dates, the spokesperson said. They added that the university arranged alternate methods for students to pick up packages.
[Related: Hundreds of UCLA AFSCME Local 3299 members strike Nov. 17 and 18]
AFSCME Local 3299’s demands include higher wages, expanded healthcare and housing benefits, and better staff retention. The union has also alleged that the UC has refused to negotiate about housing benefits and unlawfully increased health care rates for employees and their family members.
The UC Office of the President said in an April 24 statement that the UC has bargained in good faith, adding that the University’s most recent proposal includes pay increases of nearly 33% over the course of a potential future contract.
AFSCME Local 3299 was set to strike alongside University Professional and Technical Employees-Communications Workers of America 9119 and the California Nurses Association in November, but both unions reached contracts with the UC fewer than 10 days before the strike. CNA reached an agreement with the University the day before it was set to strike.
[Related: CNA reaches tentative agreement with UC, calls off Nov. 17 and 18 strike]
About 50 people gathered outside the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center – where the UC Board of Regents met – on May 6 to rally in support of AFSCME Local 3299’s demands. Demonstrators chanted “UC, UC, you’re no good – treat your workers like you should,” and “Who’s got the power? We’ve got the power.”
Jose Antonio Guzman Flores, a UCLA dining worker who attended the rally, said he and other union members are calling for the UC to treat their workers with dignity. Guzman Flores added that he is unable to comfortably provide for his family’s health and livelihood because of his current pay and healthcare costs.
Longino Cornejo, a UC Health clinical engineer for 18 years, said he participated in the rally to call for housing assistance for UC employees, adding that these workers often struggle to live near the communities they work in.
Cornejo said he commutes more than 30 miles each way to get to his job at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
“We really love UCLA,” he said. “We just want to see that love come back to our members and our coworkers.”
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