UC responds to strike vote with plan to force healthcare cuts
Today, UC sent UPTE its "Last, Best, and Final Offer" (LBFO). Thisdoes not mean that UC will not improve its offer when we agree to a contract.
Far from an actual "last, best and final" offer, this is a technical term for something UC must provide before it is allowed to implement any of its proposals without UPTE's agreement - something we should expect them to do in the following weeks.
UC made a "last, best, final offer" and then implemented its terms on our AFSCME siblings recently and to our Research and Technical members in 2019. We know that we can win more by continuing to fight, just like we did in 2019.
UC's LBFO proposes immediate, significant increases in healthcare costs for many members and would give UC the right to raise healthcare costs with no limit in January, less than 4 months from now.
UC has increased premiums by more than $300 per month for some non-union workers since 2023 and could shift hundreds - if not thousands - of dollars of healthcare costs back to us every month, starting in January, if we don't fight to protect our controls on those costs.
| UC's "Last Best and Final" Offer | |
|---|---|
| Wages | • 5% in 2025, 4% in 2026, 3% in 2027, 3% in 2028 • No step in 2027 for Research & Technical Workers • No guaranteed raises or steps for Berkeley Lab |
| Benefits | • Unlimited increases in healthcare costs |
| Work-Life Balance |
• No increase in vacation accruals |
| Job Security | • No improvements |
| Career Progression |
• No clear criteria • No enforceable process • 90-day timeline to respond to requests |
Even if UC implements, we can still strike to win a fair contract and reverse the healthcare cuts. Implementation would not mean that bargaining is over nor that we have to accept any less at the bargaining table.
It is no coincidence that UC sent this offer just after we announced a strike vote beginning on September 22. UC wants to trick our members into thinking that either we agreed to a contract or can't win a better contract – and that it isn't worth it to keep fighting and striking.
Fortunately, we know this isn't true from our contract victory in 2019. UC implemented on RX and TX members in April of 2019 and in August of 2019 we won a contract with significant improvements from UC's Last, Best, and Final offer. Mark your calendar today for September 22nd and vote YES to strike!
If you haven't heard from your Unit Rep or Organizer about our plans to prepare for larger, longer strikes, contact us today!