University of California Union Workers Stage One-Day Strike at Campuses Statewide

April 5, 2025 TruthUSA

Thousands of employees participated in a strike due to what they perceive as unjust labor practices.

On April 1, thousands of union employees staged a one-day strike at all University of California (UC) campuses and medical facilities, reacting to what they deem unfair labor practices.

“None of us want to be out here. We don’t want to miss work. We want to focus on our jobs,” stated Amelia Cutten, a behavioral health counselor at UC Santa Cruz and a representative for healthcare workers. She spoke to The Epoch Times about the situation. “We are here for our patients, for our students, for the research, and to highlight the staffing crisis while asking UC to return and negotiate effectively to address the issues we’ve raised.”

University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE), representing over 20,000 technical, research, and healthcare professionals, filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) complaint against UC in October 2024. In solidarity with UPTE, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), UC’s largest employee union, joined the strike.

Cutten, who is also part of the UPTE bargaining committee, emphasized that workers are facing burnout along with issues of recruitment and retention. She referred to UC CFO Nathan Brostrom’s statement at a 2023 Board of Regents meeting, which indicated that vacancy rates were three times higher than before the pandemic.

She pointed out that ongoing construction on campus and the recent pay raise for all UC chancellors, averaging 30 percent, reflect misplaced priorities and exacerbate the difficulties workers are currently encountering.

According to UC, UPTE did not attend the final bargaining session scheduled for December 2024. Shortly after, UPTE declared an impasse, claiming discussions had stalled without providing responses to several proposals offered by UC beforehand, including pay increases and step progressions totaling 16 percent over the contract period.

A UC statement released in February indicated that resolving the contracts under negotiation hinges on the unions’ readiness to engage in constructive bargaining.

“The University is committed to taking all possible measures to minimize the impact of the strike on patients, students, faculty, and staff,” the statement read.

On the day of the strike, UC expressed that neither union had been transparent in their representations and claimed to have made genuine efforts to seek resolutions. They hoped the unions would soon attempt to settle the contracts meaningfully.

Janet Mucino, a senior custodian at UC Santa Cruz and a member of the AFSCME board, conveyed to The Epoch Times that the proposed 5 percent wage increase from UC is insufficient considering Santa Cruz’s living costs.

The Cost of Living Index for the city reflects that living expenses can be more than twice the national average. As of February 2025, the average rent for an apartment in Santa Cruz is over $3,500 a month, while the median home price stands at $1.4 million. Gas prices exceed $5 per gallon.

Mucino, who suffers from chronic illness, struggles to manage rising copayments and medication costs for both herself and her son. She also operates a house-cleaning business alongside her university job.

“I have coworkers with three jobs just to afford rent and make ends meet,” she stated. “We are frontliners; we deserve to be treated with dignity.”

Union workers cross the street during a strike outside the entrance of UC Santa Cruz on April 1, 2025. (Conner Lee/The Epoch Times) — Union workers cross the street during a strike outside UC Santa Cruz on April 1, 2025. Conner Lee/The Epoch Times

The UC Office of the President stated in an email to The Epoch Times, “Filing an Unfair Labor Practice does not imply a determination of wrongdoing by the university.”

UC contests the allegations made by the striking workers.

The university refutes UPTE’s assertion of a staffing crisis. According to data that UC claims is publicly accessible and has been provided to UPTE, the number of workers represented by the union has actually increased, with decreasing separation rates and turnover rates below the national average.

The third-party review process may take several months to finalize.

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