Thanks to everyone who joined our pre-bargaining town hall last night. There was such demand to get in that we had to upgrade our Zoom account to accommodate everyone—while this is a fantastic problem to have, it does mean that folks who tried to join in the first ten minutes may not have been able to get into the meeting.

As a result, we're sharing a recording here with everyone who RSVP'ed so that you can watch it at your leisure and also share with your colleagues.

Max Belasco, an IT worker at UCLA, asked, "Can someone tell me in the chat what UC loves to say when we come to them and ask them to address our issues like worker retention, staffing, or below-market pay? That's right. When we ask UC to address our concerns, which ultimately impact our patients, our students, and our research, they pretend they don't have the money. Nothing could be further from the truth, as UC continues to spend billions on hospital acquisitions, hand out generous raises to Chancellors and CEOs, and hire more and more top administrators."

"Every action we take between now and winning a new contract is about demonstrating to the boss that we have the unity to pull off a super majority strike statewide," said Anastasia Vourakis, a Physical Therapist at UC Davis. "Now I know 15,000 people sounds like a big number, but if each of our leaders statewide talks to an average of only 10 people, we will hit a super majority of our coworkers across the system."

Recently, the University of California announced that the annual cost of living raises for workers not covered by a collective bargaining agreement will be 4.6%. That's just for people who don't belong to a union. UPTE members, however, were eligible for a step increase in January and will receive an additional 3% in July—meaning that most UPTE members will receive 5% in 2024.

Over the life of this current contract, we won 29% in raises for RX and TX members and 32% for HX members. This came after a long fight that involved massive statewide mobilizations, including thousands of us going on strike. During that same period of time, our nonunion colleagues had no raises guaranteed—in some years, they received up to 3% depending on UC's discretion, and in years like 2020 they didn't receive a raise at all.

The raises we won in our contract are a minimum: we are actively campaigning for market and internal equity, reclassification, and shift differentials in addition to our contractual raises—and we're winning.

In addition to these contractual benefits, we've also fought and won additional pay and better working conditions up and down the state through our collective strength and solidarity.

You can learn more about those recent victories here.

None of what we've won would have been possible without our members being willing to work together and take action. It's clear that when we're organized and united, we have real power at work. That's the UPTE difference.

On May 21, UPTE’s bargaining team of Systems Administrators reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) with UC regarding pay scales and paid time off for SAs 1-3. Last week, these members voted overwhelmingly to ratify their TA, which now becomes official. 

Under the newly-ratified agreement, we were able to move UC from an initial offer of $74,000 for average SA3 starting pay to $94,000 and from an initial offer of $118,000 for SA3 max pay to $147,000. This means that nearly 100 Systems Administrators who are currently paid below Step 1 will see significant raises, some more than 20%.

"The inclusion of Systems Administrators in UPTE has been a seven-year ordeal in which the University of California repeatedly delayed negotiations and denied contractually obligated pay increases to SAs, making it harder to plan secure futures of ourselves, our families, and our careers,” said Joseph Menke, a Systems Administrator and UPTE Unit Representative from UC Davis who also served on the bargaining team. “I’m proud of the persistence and dedication of every member who was involved in making this agreement possible.”

Joseph continued, saying, “The agreement that we reached is a big step forward, providing pay increases for many long-time staff and a salary floor much closer to industry norms, but much more needs to be done to fix persisting pay inequities and improve how the university supports emerging technologies and secures research data. These are issues that we will be focused on in the upcoming TX contract negotiations and beyond."

UPTE members in the healthcare and research units at UCSF are flexing their collective muscles, winning equity adjustments and putting management on notice that we’re organized and serious about our demands. Physician assistants (PAs) achieved a significant eight percent mid-contract pay equity adjustment effective June 23, 2024, while staff research associates (SRAs) and lab assistants marched on university management demanding recognition of their vital work.

“This victory wouldn’t have happened without the tireless advocacy of UPTE members, colleagues, and our community. It was possible because we did the hard work of engaging with our colleagues and increasing our membership to over ninety percent before we finally were granted this well-deserved adjustment for our non-senior PA colleagues,” said Matthew Stephen, a UCSF PA who serves as an UPTE Chapter Co-Chair and our statewide Secretary. “As UC continues to consolidate and acquire hospitals across the state, now is the time for union members to stand together during bargaining to reset UC’s priorities to better serve PAs and our patients.”

In a parallel show of solidarity and strength, SRAs and lab assistants at UCSF recently organized a march on their boss to highlight ongoing workplace issues. Kaley Vittoria, an SRA 2 at UCSF for nearly a year-and-a-half, said, “Just remember, it starts with one action together, and when you get that ball rolling, it will continue. It’s scary at the moment, but after the fact, now I feel even more powerful because I know the ball is rolling. Whatever will come after that, management will be aware of our issues. If they don’t respect those issues, we will continue to fight for what’s right.”

Earlier in the year, UPTE workers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a center for oceanography and Earth science based at UC San Diego, in La Jolla, won a seismic change in sea pay policy.  As union members, we know nothing is final until a formal written agreement codifies it—and after years of negotiating, the new sea pay agreement is final.

“The old policy, known as remote leave allowance, penalized us the more days in the month we worked,” described Andrew Naslund, a Marine Technician 3 working at Scripps for about four-and-a-half years. “If I went to sea Monday through Friday for the entire month and came home on the weekends, I’d be making almost the same amount of money plus or minus $35 a day, as if I went to sea from the first to the thirty-first. I’m essentially working my weekends for free. I’m not getting those days back; they’re just gone. We are not afforded the weekend.”

The new sea-pay policy was a hard-fought victory for Andrew and his colleagues across all seafaring departments. It aims to correct longstanding compensation inequities and significantly broadens the scope of what qualifies for sea pay. But getting that policy formalized into a written agreement has remained a priority.

“Over the last two years, we’ve repeatedly emphasized that we are the union. Many people refer to the union as a separate entity without recognizing that, as members of a public, member-run union, I am the union, you are the union—we all are. We’re collectively responsible for what we define as the union,” Andrew explained. “We’ve proven that when we, the union, come together, we can make things happen.”

Jere Justice, a pharmacist and UPTE unit representative at UCI Health — Fountain Valley, formerly Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, has been a driving force in labor organizing at his workplace. He thrives in the demanding environment of Fountain Valley, working the night shift and leading a team of technicians.

Since UCI Health acquired four medical centers at Fountain Valley, Lakewood, Los Alamitos, and Placentia Linda, along with outpatient care offices, on March 27, 2024, Jere’s leadership has been a beacon of trust for his colleagues.

Joining UPTE has reignited Jere’s passion for union work. He was impressed by UPTE’s structure and effectiveness, describing his initial Zoom meeting with UPTE leaders as a moment that “got me excited again.” He noted, “The union is well-organized, continually growing, and everyone seems to be on the same page, getting stuff done. It’s an impressive union.”

Jere’s leadership and dedication have significantly impacted his colleagues, who trust him to represent their interests. “They’re pretty excited about that and fired up to become active union members,” he says, referring to the anticipated changes under UPTE’s representation.

With our platform ratification vote behind us, I wanted to reflect on the last two years and share a bit about what lies ahead as we prepare for negotiations with UC.

When we look at unions that have recently fought for and won stellar contracts, including the UAW, LA teachers, and workers at Kaiser, we should also consider how they reached their goals. It starts with members stepping up in every workplace and at every campus or medical center so that we can share information quickly, enforce our contract when management misbehaves, and tackle our shared obstacles at work.

Last month, we put that contract platform up for a ratification vote. I was so proud to see nearly 9,500 UPTE members cast a ballot between April 4 - 18, approving these bargaining priorities by over 99%. That turnout represents a majority of all UC workers represented by our union—and we’re not stopping there.

Our first bargaining session with UC will be on June 11, when a team of 26 UPTE members across healthcare, research, and technical titles from every corner of the state will take your feedback and priorities into negotiations. I hope you feel as proud as I do of how far we’ve come together as a union.

Our next convention has officially been scheduled! In 2024, our next convention will take place at the San Diego Mission Bay Resort on September 28 & 29. The delegate nomination process will open on May 21 and close at 11:59 pm on June 5, 2024.

At the convention, elected delegates from workplaces across California take time to democratically determine the direction of our union while also participating in training and education workshops about building our union.

If the same or fewer members accept nomination to serve as convention delegates as allotted to that campus, they shall be considered elected by acclamation. If more than the allotted number of members accept their nomination then an election will be held and the top-ranking candidates will serve as delegates.

All members in good standing are eligible to serve as convention delegates. If you want to be a delegate, you should run for this position with the intention of attending the entirety of the convention. UPTE will pay for hotel rooms, airfare/mileage, and other reasonable travel expenses.

UPTE stands in solidarity with protestors at UC and other universities calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. We condemn UCLA leadership’s failure to protect students, staff, and faculty from violent counter-protestors, none of whom were arrested.

We are deeply disturbed by the UCLA administration’s decision to violently break up peaceful anti-war demonstrations and arrange the arrest of dozens of students. We also condemn the UCSD Chancellor’s similar repression of democratic protest. UC Riverside’s decision to engage students in constructive dialogue and negotiation stands in stark contrast and represents a blueprint for leadership at other campuses.

UPTE Psychologists, Social Workers, and Counselors who provide mental health support to UC students have been overwhelmed with students traumatized by the University’s behavior. We demand that the University respect their students’ right to free speech and peaceful protest, and cease actions—including pursuing disciplinary action against student protestors—that cause further harm.

We remain committed to defending the rights of our members and the entire University community to participate in non-violent protests and exercise their First Amendment rights. We will also continue work with our union, student, and community allies to ensure the University fulfills its obligation to provide a safe place to work, learn, and heal.