A statewide strike involving tens of thousands of University of California healthcare and service workers was canceled after AFSCME Local 3299 and the university reached a tentative labor agreement early May 14, according to statements shared with Becker’s.
The open-ended strike had been scheduled to begin May 14 across all 10 UC campuses, as well as medical centers, research laboratories, clinics and other UC facilities statewide.
UC 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. UC said the two sides began bargaining in January 2024. Contracts for the workers expired in 2024, and union members have held multiple limited-duration strikes during negotiations.
Under the tentative agreement, AFSCME said the lowest-paid workers in the UC system will receive their largest wage increase ever, along with “the most affordable healthcare rates at UC,” as well as staffing and workplace safety protections.
“The front-line workers that we represent have stood shoulder to shoulder, demanding the university take meaningful action to address the affordability crisis pricing them out of the communities where they work, and forcing impossible choices on their families,” AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant said in a May 14 statement. “Tonight we have reached a tentative agreement with the University that makes historic progress and delivers long-overdue security to the front-line service and patient care professionals who make UC run.”
The university said the tentative agreement includes wage increases, healthcare caps and stipends, ratification bonuses, equity pools to address systemwide pay disparities and longevity bonuses.
“We’re glad to have reached an agreement with AFSCME that recognizes the important work these employees do every day across UC’s campuses and health centers,” Missy Matella, associate vice president for systemwide employee and labor relations for UC, said in a statement shared with Becker’s. “This contract delivers meaningful pay increases and addresses some of the real affordability pressures our employees are facing, while allowing us to move forward together focused on UC’s mission of patient care, teaching and research.”
Union members are expected to vote on ratification May 19-21.
Editor’s note: This story was updated May 14 after AFSCME Local 3299 and the University of California reached a tentative labor agreement and canceled the planned strike.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
