“UPTE is a union of 20,000 workers in research, healthcare, and technical jobs. Our members are employed across the University of California system. Unions are member-run organizations. We make decisions democratically and empower each other to advocate for ourselves and for our work. Together, we negotiate and enforce a contract with management to guarantee the things we all care about: good raises, affordable health care, job security, a stable schedule, and more. Our power is proportional to our strength in numbers; the more members we have, the stronger we are.”
Dan Russell
UPTE President
UPTE Chief Negotiator
Business Technical Support Analyst, UC Berkeley
Please find a downloadable version of this information by going here.
| UPTE Contract at UC | Non-union workers at UC | |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed Raises | 29 - 32% from 2019 – 2024. | 0% guaranteed. |
| Pension | Begin retirement at 50 and maximize benefits at 60. Changes must be negotiated. | Begin retirement at 55 and maximize benefits at 65 if hired after July 2013. Changes can be made at any time under management's discretion. |
| Healthcare | A $25 annual cap on monthly premium increases for Health Net Blue & Gold and Kaiser plans, meaning up to $225 monthly savings. | No limit on healthcare premiums, changes can be made any time under management’s discretion. |
| Professional development | 40 hrs release time to work on career professional development. | Management's discretion, no guarantees. |
| Job Security | Just cause protections against unfair corrective action. Seniority rights. Protections against layoffs or contracting out. Union representation. | Management's discretion, no guarantees |
| A voice at work | A powerful, collective voice to advocate for ourselves and our professions. | No voice and none of the guaranteed rights, protections, or benefits negotiated by a union. |
Defeating UC’s Two-Tier Pension Scheme
In 2013 and 2017 contract negotiations, UC attempted to divide our union by raising the retirement age by 5 years and capping pensionable income for new hires.
UPTE members fought alongside AFSCME Local 3299 and the California Nurses Association, successfully keeping all of our members on the same pension tier in exchange for an additional 1% employee pension contribution. Thanks to this win, thousands of members hired since 2013 have maintained the ability to maximize their retirement benefits at age 60 instead of 65.
Keeping our union united around the same pension benefits also allowed us to win the highest wage increases in our history in our 2019-2024 contracts, more than offsetting the additional pension contribution!