Tens of thousands of University of California healthcare and service workers have ratified a labor contract with the university.
The agreement, which expires Nov. 30, 2029, was ratified by 96.4% of voting AFSCME Local 3299 members, according to a May 22 union news release.
According to the union, the agreement includes annual wage and step increases totaling about 21.5% through the life of the contract, a $1,500 lump-sum payment for eligible workers, a minimum wage that will rise to $30.10 per hour by 2029 and caps on healthcare premium increases. The agreement also includes expanded layoff protections and additional longevity payments for longtime employees.
The university said AFSCME represents roughly 40,000 patient care technical and service workers across the system, about two-thirds of whom work at UC academic health centers at UCSF, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Davis and UC San Diego.
The union represents service and patient care technical workers, including custodians, food service workers, medical assistants and respiratory therapists. Contracts for the workers expired in 2024, and union members held multiple limited-duration strikes during negotiations. A statewide strike scheduled earlier this month across all 10 UC campuses, medical centers, research laboratories and clinics was canceled after AFSCME Local 3299 and the university reached a tentative agreement May 14.
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