Support people, not luxury hotels!

Rally @ Residence Inn by Marriott Berkeley
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
12:30 pm to 1 pm 

2121 Center St
Berkeley, CA 94704

As we prepare for the possibility of striking for a week or longer, UC Investments—a portfolio of investments totaling approximately $190 billion—has spent $175.8 million in cash to purchase the Residence Inn by Marriott Berkeley—the hotel next to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive —a spooktacular buy that should raise every eyebrow this Halloween season. UC has never claimed financial hardship as the reason it hasn’t met our contract demands, and clearly, it has the money. No tricks—just the treats we’re owed. It’s up to us to reset its priorities so it focuses on who really matters—the people who work hard every day to bring value to UC.

UPTE is organizing a rally outside the Residence Inn by Marriott Berkeley on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, from 12:30 to 1 pm. It’s time to show UC we’re paying attention to how it’s spending its money—not on our research, students, patients—and to keep up the momentum as we move into the next phase of our campaign to win a fair contract (no more getting ghosted on wages—let’s carve out a fair deal).

Because UC is draining us dry, we plan to dress up as vampires. Costumes aren’t required; your presence alone will spook UC—fangs for showing up.

RSVP for our rally!

Read what UPTE President Dan Russell said about UC’s misplaced priorities in the San Francisco Chronicle:

“But while the deal might be good for downtown Berkeley, the university’s willingness to spend big money on real estate deals shows misplaced priorities, according to Dan Russell, president and chief negotiator for the University Professional & Technical Employees, which is currently negotiating a new contract with UC Berkeley. The last contract expired at the end of September.

‘It’s clear that UC has a set of priorities — on the one hand they are quick to write a check for a new building while, on the other, workers are receiving layoff notices at the expense of our students, patients and research,’ Russell said. ‘We hope their new hotel serves the people of California as well as the workers they continue to lay off have.”