CHO bargaining update & action: Hiring freeze thawing—now let’s hold UC accountable on Feb 9
Shift Summary (read this first): Member pressure is working—managers admit the hiring freeze is thawing and positions are opening—but UC is still not bargaining seriously. Take action: join UPTE members from UCSF Children's Hospital Oakland at the Alameda County Health Committee meeting on Monday, February 9, at 9:30 am to demand transparency on Measure C spending.
Now, the detailed breakdown: On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, your University Professional and Technical Employees bargaining team met with the University of California for our third bargaining session. Your bargaining team brought the University serious, member-driven proposals based on our S.A.V.E. CHO side-letter petition (Stabilize Staff, Advance Careers, Value Experience, Ensure Excellence at Children's Hospital Oakland)—aimed at protecting the crucial benefits at UCSF Children's Hospital Oakland that we've fought for and relied on.
But we're not resting on our laurels, we're continuing our fight. Join us this coming Monday, February 9, at the Alameda County Administration Building, 1221 Oak St, Oakland, CA 94612, for the 9:30 am Alameda County Health Committee meeting to advance pediatric excellence and compassionate care through Measure C. We plan to speak up and out during the public comment portion of the committee meeting.
Speak up & out at the
Alameda County Health Committee
Monday, February 9, 2026, at 9:30 am
Alameda County Administration Building
1221 Oak St, Oakland, CA 94612
Alameda County's Measure C, the voter initiative passed in 2020: Twenty percent of the funds must go to the Alameda County Pediatric Trauma Center. UC's team seemed caught off guard when we raised that UC received over $140 million in early July 2025, and has been receiving another $2.5 million every month since. Instead of explaining how those taxpayer dollars are being used to strengthen care at CHO, management dug in—insisting Measure C "isn't for our members" and dismissing the reality that retention and patient care are inseparable. We won't allow management to wall this money off from CHO workers—pretending retention has nothing to do with patient care—while refusing to provide transparency about how these public dollars are actually being spent.
UC's response made one thing clear: it is not taking CHO workers seriously. UC showed up unprepared and without any decision-makers at the table. That's why we're showing up on February 9 and making two clear asks during public comment:
Hold quarterly labor-management meetings on Measure C spending, with a clear focus on how UC uses these funds for staffing, training, and equipment. UC leadership must attend, and a supervisor or other supervisory staff member must participate to provide oversight and ensure accountability.
Present a detailed proposal for Measure C spending that directly meets CHO's needs for training, staffing, and equipment, and funds the investments required to deliver UPTE's side-letter bargaining proposals.
We did our work. UC management did not do theirs—CHO members deserve better than this disrespect at the bargaining table. We need to ensure that working at CHO is sustainable and that we are truly incentivizing the recruitment and retention of highly qualified staff so that patient care and working conditions improve in the long term.
Please join your fellow CHO UPTE members at the Alameda County Health Committee meeting on February 9 at 9:30 am to confront the so-called "stakeholders" and demand transparency about how UC has been spending Measure C taxpayer dollars. We will have UPTE T-shirts available to members who haven't received theirs yet. If UC wants to benefit from public funds, they should be prepared to account for them—publicly.
In solidarity,
UPTE UCSF Children's Hospital Oakland Bargaining Team
