2024 was an incredible year
2024 was another incredible year for UPTE, capped by thousands of members striking at UCSF on November 20-21. UC can have no doubt about how ready UPTE members are to continue fighting for their patients, research, and students.
Earlier this month, the LA Times ran a powerful story about UPTE researchers at UC Davis, who are fighting back against low wages, high turnover, misclassification and understaffing, all while carrying the burden of trying to stop bird flu from turning into the next pandemic.
Meanwhile, we won strong contracts at Mt. San Jacinto College and College of the Sequoias, with significant progress made at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Despite LLNL management taking bargaining more seriously than UC, members are still preparing to strike, if necessary.
Our membership is at a historic high, with more than 2,200 members joining UPTE since last December. Those members are more engaged than ever, which means that we are ready to take on the challenges of 2025 and beyond, whatever those may be.
I hope you are able to enjoy some time off with friends and family during the holidays and return ready to continue our fantastic work to win what our families, patients, students and research deserve.
In solidarity,
Dan Russell
UPTE President