Frequently asked questions on UPTE’s unfair labor practice strike at UC

The unfair labor practice strike will be all day May 1 at all UC facilities: campuses, medical centers, clinics, and labs. You should not report to work for any shifts beginning on May 1. You should complete any shifts that start on April 30 and continue into May 1—do not stop work mid-shift.

During a strike, UPTE workers would not perform our regular job duties. Instead, we participate in picket lines at our campuses and medical centers alongside elected officials and other allies to increase the visibility of our collective action.

UC’s hospitals, clinics, research labs, campuses, and other facilities cannot operate without the essential labor of 20,000 UPTE workers. The more we participate, the more UC will be forced to curtail operations or hire expensive temporary workers, costing perhaps tens of millions per day.

Thousands of workers marching on picket lines alongside elected officials, students, and other allies will increase the visibility of our actions and the amount of media coverage we receive. This will impact UC’s reputation and amplify the pressure at every level of UC leadership to resolve the unfair labor practices that led to the strike.

No! In California, it is illegal to retaliate against striking workers engaging in a legal work stoppage, regardless of appointment type, hire date, or citizenship status. Some 100,000 workers participated in work stoppages and strikes at the UC in the last five years without incurring retaliation. In our previous strikes from 2018 to 2019, our optometrists’ strike in February 2024, and our previous unfair labor practice strike at UC San Francisco in November 2024 and across the UC system in February this year, no one, including probationary workers, was disciplined for striking.

How will our patients and research be affected if we allow chronic short staffing to continue? Right now, there is a recruitment and retention crisis at UC—54% of Healthcare workers and 67% of Researchers have turned over in the last five years. We know that if we don’t take a stand to fix the issues that thousands of our members have said are important to them, this crisis will deepen, and patient care, research, and education will get even worse than they are now.

Retaliation for striking is illegal (see the third question above), and the State of California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) has upheld this right. Supervisors are unlikely to take action against striking workers, and everyone in a department acting together provides even more protection. We want our supervisors to know that we are striking for the good of our department and our work.

No. Your manager may ask you whether you are striking while at work before the strike. We recommend you tell them, “YES, we’re all going!” Once the strike starts, you don’t need to call in—just show up to the picket line!

No, workers cannot use vacation or personal time off while striking.

Those experiencing financial hardship will be entitled to apply for the financial hardship fund. UPTE has a limited fund reserved for members facing financial hardship during the strike. The hardship fund can only be applied for in person, on the picket line, on May 1. To receive a payment, you must be on the picket line for a complete shift and sign in and out during the strike. Checks for $100 will be mailed two to three weeks after the strike.

Your boss is allowed to ask you if you will strike, but they cannot intimidate you, retaliate against you, or ask you why you are planning to strike. You should respond: “Yes, I am striking with my coworkers. Will you support me?”

UPTE workers are already experiencing a crisis in workload and short staffing. We are going on strike to force the University to stop its bad-faith bargaining and address the staffing crisis. You may be asked to reschedule your work before the strike, but ultimately, it’s the University’s responsibility to cover your work while you are out.  Do not work while on strike unless ordered by the State of California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) for urgent patient care.

Yes, you have the same right to strike as those born in this country, and it will not cause you to lose your visa or be deported. A prominent immigration law firm sums it up well: “Employees who are already working on an approved H1-B status cannot have their H1-B status revoked by DHS simply because there is a labor strike.” (Kolko & Casey)

The California Government Code, which establishes UC employees’ rights to bargain and strike, also states, “All protections, rights, and remedies available under state law are available to all individuals regardless of immigration status who have applied for employment, or who are or who have been employed, in this state.” Gov. Code § 7285.

Since negotiations began in June 2024, UC has refused to bargain in good faith and even told us that they do not have the authority to reach an agreement, which was the impetus for our first ULP strike. Our bargaining team is eager to return to the table as soon as UC comes prepared to bargain in good faith.

UC may act as if the strike doesn’t have an impact, but we know our absences were widely felt. Advertisers for travelers advertised rates upwards of $4,000/per day to replace our work. In February, we received national media coverage of our systemwide strike, with more than 150 press hits across California and the country. We also know that the University was forced to cancel millions of dollars in procedures at hospitals across the state. The strike is most effective if 100 percent of members participate.