Bargaining update #13: UPTE holds the line

UPTE met with UC on July 8 and 9, where UC provided "a new package of proposals" that includes no raises in 2028, no limits on increases to healthcare costs, no increased time off, and no right to vacant positions prior to layoff.

The most meaningful improvement was UC agreeing to UPTE's proposal to expand preferential rehire rights from just someone's home campus (e.g., UCSF) to all UC campuses and extend recall and rehire rights for HX unit members to three years for those with more than ten years of service (matching the RX & TX bargaining units). However, UC proposed reducing recall and rehire rights for those at Berkeley Lab (LBNL) from three years to one year, without providing an explanation.

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Check out a summary of UPTE's proposals compared to UC’s here.

This is all two months after our last bargaining session, demonstrating that UC is still not taking the ongoing crisis of recruitment and retention seriously. We have now missed a step increase and an across-the-board raise due to UC's stalling and unfair labor practices.

We have not fought this long and hard to accept less than UC has already agreed to with our AFSCME 3299 and CNA colleagues when it comes to compensation and job security, or less vacation time than other UC professionals. As UC sows confusion and misinformation about supposed 'financial constraints' while spending tens of billions on expansion and new construction, it is more important than ever that we hold the line on these issues.

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After 13 months of bad-faith bargaining and other unfair labor practices, UPTE's bargaining team informed UC that we will not make further movement if UC does not show they are willing to address our members' priorities and commit to addressing the recruitment and retention crisis.

Statewide, UC is experiencing a crisis of leadership, with a new systemwide president, James B. Milliken, starting on August 1. That's why it's so important if you haven't heard about our preparation for a more prolonged strike in order to bring these negotiations to a close, contact your unit representative or organizer today.

In solidarity,

Dan Russell
UPTE President & Chief Negotiator
Business Technology Support Analyst, UC Berkeley