EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Nearly 40,000 University of California service and patient care workers announced Friday they would join 20,000 workers represented by the University Professional and Technical Employees union for a statewide Unfair Labor Practice one-day strike on April 1, at all UC campuses and medical centers.

UPTE cited the UC’s “continuous bad faith bargaining and unfair labor practices” for the reasoning behind the announcement

According to a release from UPTE, workers that are preparing to strike include physician assistants, optometrists, pharmacists, case managers, rehabilitation specialists, mental health clinicians, clinical lab scientists, staff research associates, IT workers and more.

“When we joined UPTE nearly three years ago, we brought concerns to the bargaining table about our students grappling with depression, anxiety, sexual assault, stress, and even thoughts of suicide. They refused to engage with us then, and now that we’ve joined statewide negotiations with other UPTE members, we see the same pattern of bad faith,” Marlene Vasquez, behavioral health counselor at UC Davis, said in a statement. “Delays in care often lead to hospitalization or even worse for some of our most underserved students — so why is UC dragging its feet and further delaying negotiations?” 

In total, the strike will impact nearly 60,000 UC workers, including every UC campus and medical center across the state.

A UC spokesperson responded to the planned strike in a statement to Spectrum News, citing work with both unions:

“At a time when the University of California is facing funding reductions at both the state and federal levels and preparing for significant financial challenges ahead, we are concerned about UPTE and AFSCME’s plans to strike again. These strikes put a significant financial strain on UC, costing the system millions of dollars.  

“We’ve been working hard with both unions and have offered what we believe are strong proposals that recognize their important work. To date, these offers include competitive wage increases over the life of the contract, health care premium reductions for lower-paid workers, expanded sick leave and increased vacation use rights.

“It’s disheartening to hear mischaracterizations of our positions and actions during these negotiations, as we’ve been genuinely trying to find solutions that work for everyone.

“We’re still committed to open dialogue and hope we can resolve these issues quickly to minimize disruption for our entire University community.”