Tentative agreement on UC contract reached—UPTE strike canceled!
UPTE and the University of California have reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) after the mediator brought us back into communications following days of mediation. This is a major victory for UPTE members across the University of California system and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: delivering significant pay increases over four years, predictable and progressive caps on healthcare premium increases, and improvements in work-life balance, career progression, and job security.
The TA summary is below. Further details about the TA and timing of a ratification vote will be forthcoming. RSVP for a presentation and Q&A on the Tentative Agreement on Wednesday, November 12, at noon, via Zoom. We will address all your questions about the agreement and the next steps in our campaign to reset UC's priorities.
| Raises and Compensation |
• 2025: 8% or more: January 2025 minimum 2% step* + (5% Across the Board (ATB) or $25 minimum whichever is more**) + Title-Specific Equities for all titles of at least 1% retroactive to ratification, to be paid within 120 days of ratification • 2026: 7% (January minimum 2% Step* + July 5% ATB raise) • 2027: 6% (January minimum 2% Step* + July 4% ATB raise) • 2028: 6% (January minimum 2% Step* + July 4% ATB raise) • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: 7%-7%-6%-6% ATBs in October 2025–26–27–28 and no merit matrix! • Annual Steps for UCLA Health: Elimination of any experience-based steps *2% Pensionable Lump Sums for those at the top step! January 2025 lump sums to follow ratification. **Retro for step and first raise was paid in the first full pay period of November 2025! |
|---|---|
| Healthcare |
• Subsidies keeping most 2026 Blue & Gold and some 2026 Kaiser rates the same as 2024, with no Blue & Gold or Kaiser employee rates seeing more than a $64 increase! • Annual caps on premium increases in 2027 & 2028 • Review Blue & Gold and Kaiser 2026 rates here |
| Work-Life Balance |
• An additional floating holiday • Full holiday pay for exempt employees working 8+ hour shifts • Up to 12 months unpaid parental leave for birth parents • Pre-approved window of up to 10 consecutive days after denied vacation requests • 30-day minimum notice for changes in remote/hybrid schedules • No reduction in vacation/PTO accruals for employees who joined UPTE before Nov 2025 • Cesar Chavez retained as a floating holiday (HX) • Transition to Vacation/Sick (from PTO/ESL) for UCLA Health • 8 hours of Sick Leave for Per Diem employees |
| Career Progression |
• Significant improvements to Reclassification Process • 90-day response timeline for UC • Clear criteria required for reclass review • Department reclassification committee to define clearer progression criteria • Appeals panel made up of compensation staff outside the worker’s department • Binding enforcement of the process • Right to use Education/Professional Development Hours on days off; restrictions on remote education removed |
| Job Security, Layoffs, Seniority |
• Guaranteed “Alternatives to Layoffs” process before layoffs, including right to open positions • Preferential Rehire rights at all campuses • Extended Preferential Rehire and Recall Rights to 3 years in HX |
| Union Rights |
• Increase Unit Representatives to at least 1 per 100 workers; additional release hours • 30-minute Orientation for all titles joining UPTE |
This would not have been possible without the perseverance and commitment of thousands of UPTE members and more than one thousand unit and workplace representatives, who helped develop our platform and advocate for our patients, research, and students over the course of a two-year fight that included seven days on strike.
In solidarity,
Dan Russell
UPTE President & Chief Negotiator
Business Technology Support Analyst, UC Berkeley
