Citing what they say are unfair labor practices, hundreds of union workers affiliated with UC Irvine medical centers staged a one-day strike on Tuesday, April 1, joining thousands of peers across University of California medical and academic campuses statewide.
Employees from two unions — the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and University Professional and Technical Employees — representing health care, research support, and technical professionals in the UC system say the university system has unfairly raised their healthcare costs with higher premiums and threatened union jobs as part of what they say is an illegal bargaining tactic.
Sarah Pika-Majchrowski, a nurse case manager in the cancer center at UC Irvine’s Orange medical campus, said she joined Tuesday’s strike to pressure her employer back to the bargaining table in good faith.
“We work in health care, and we can barely afford our insurance,” she said.
UCI deferred comment about the strike to the University of California’s central office. There were also strikes Tuesday at UC Riverside and UCLA facilities.
In a statement Tuesday, the UC system said the unfair labor practice charges against it are unsubstantiated allegations.
“We have met with the AFSCME and UPTE for months to settle these contracts, offering generous wage increases, monthly credits to reduce health care expenses for lower-wage earners, expanded sick leave, and improved ability to schedule vacation time,” the statement says.
“We’ve offered these early in negotiations, more than a year ago for AFSCME, and eight months ago to UPTE, to try to encourage contract closure and avert unnecessary disruptions like these,” the statement continues. “These strikes cost the university system millions of dollars, at a time when federal and state funding is uncertain.”
The one-day strike follows union walkouts in late February after each held initial demonstrations in late 2024.
The contract negotiations were launched in January with AFSCME and June with UPTE and the previous contracts expired between July 31 and Oct. 31, according to updates the UC administration posts online. Impasses had been declared in both and the two sides have been working through that process, including mediation in at least one negotiation.
San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Paul Sisson contributed to this report.
