Nearly 60,000 unionized workers at University of California campuses and medical centers hit the picket lines on Wednesday.
Members of AFSCME Local 3299, the union representing UC service and patient care workers, will go on a two-day strike, while UPTE-CWA 9119, the union representing health care, research, and technical professionals, are going on a three-day strike.
“You're going to find a lot of people out here at this unfair labor practice strike, mostly because of short staffing and the inability for UC to fairly bargain with our members,” one protestor told KNX News’ Jon Baird.
Todd Stenhouse with AFSCME 3299 told Baird this strike is also about wages and affordability.
“Our members make 10% less than they did seven years ago,” he said. “Real wages, right? Our members increasingly are commuting 2 and 3 hours each way to work. Some are having to sleep in their cars.”
In a statement, Dan Russell, statewide president and chief negotiator for UPTE, said UC officials have “refused to engage in meaningful dialogue or provide substantive counterproposals to nearly all of UPTE's proposals."
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Both unions have been without contracts since last year.
Meanwhile, UC officials said in a statement they were disappointed by the strike.
“Both unions have chosen to focus their energy on strike preparation and amplifying misinformation rather than negotiating in good faith,” the statement read. “We have offered each union meaningful, wage increases, health care premium reductions, and other offers to directly address the issues they've indicated are important to their members.”
UCLA officials said its medical facilities will remain open during the strike.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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