How An Upcoming UC Strike Will Impact Campuses

CALIFORNIA — Nearly 40,000 University of California service and patient care workers, along with an additional 20,000 UC professional and research workers, announced a statewide one-day strike for May 1 across the entire university’s school system in response to what the unions are calling an "illegal hiring freeze," according to two UC unions.

The UC has denied these claims, stating they imposed a hiring freeze due to financial reasons and it does not impact any existing commitments under collective bargaining agreements, according to a UC spokesperson.

This strike is expected to impact about 60,000 workers at every UC campus and medical center across the state. This is the fourth unfair labor practices strike at UC schools in the past five months. The last strike occurred on April 1 and addressed the “UC’s unfair labor practices.”

The University of California is the third-largest employer in the state and employs over 232,000 workers. There are about 300,000 students currently enrolled across all campuses.

UC San Francisco and other facilities said they expect to see "limited impact" on patient care during the strike.

The estimated 40,000 UC Service and Patient Care workers are represented by The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees — or AFSCME.

“The University has publicly acknowledged that staff vacancies have tripled since the Pandemic, which has also fueled an exodus of thousands more frontline UC employees from their jobs due to burnout, uncompetitive job quality, and chronic understaffing,” said Michael Avant, AFSCME Local 3299 President. “Amidst UC’s buying spree of new hospitals, its illegal hiring freeze and denial of certain benefits to workers at newly acquired facilities, will only serve to make these problems worse, and will jeopardize the quality of services our patients and students depend on in the bargain. Ultimately, UC is trying to save money in all the wrong ways, by taking away resources from workers, and that’s why our members will exercise their legal right to strike on May 1st.”

The union has filed two new unfair practice charges against the UC with the State’s Public Employment Relations Board. The first alleges the UC failed to provide notice or bargain over the hiring freeze and its effects on its frontline workers, which they claim violates state law and legal precedent. The second claims UC’s decision to deny certain employee benefits to workers absorbed by the university’s acquisition of six southern California hospitals is unfair. Especially because the union claims these benefits were offered at other newly acquired university facilities.

Sympathy Strike Ropes In Another 20k Workers

The University Professional and Technical Employees union — or UPTE-CWA 9119 — is striking with the UPTE in what they are calling a "sympathy strike."

That union UC healthcare, research, and technical workers.

"UC should not cower to the threats coming out of DC. It has abundant resources and must set an example of what strong public institutions should be. UC’s duty is to always prioritize the real patients, students, and people of California. We are calling on UC to engage in meaningful bargaining with us and end this hiring freeze, which is only going to make the growing staffing crisis worse," said Dan Russell, UPTE president and a business technical support analyst at UC Berkeley.

This strike comes in response to the UC’s March 19, 2025 announcement implementing a systemwide hiring freeze and furthering an ongoing staffing crisis, the union said.

“As our system's referral base has increased, our staffing has not kept pace with the increased patient volume. In the last two months my department has lost two surgeons, soon to be three audiologists, a speech therapist, and an award-winning physician assistant,” said Matt Stephen, a senior physician assistant at UCSF. “ I have had to tell far too many patients in the last few years that their delays in obtaining diagnostic testing and care negatively impacted their chances at recovery. How much longer can UC continue to turn a blind eye or deaf ear to these issues?"

UC Response

According to UC spokesperson Heather Hansen, the UC has met with AFSCME and UPTE for months to come to an agreement. She said the UC is meeting with ASFSCME on Thursday after receiving assurances from the union that there will be “substantive movement on proposals.” Hansen said UPTE has continued to decline invitations to return to the bargaining table.

The UC imposed a hiring freeze due to financial uncertainties, the UC spokesperson said. The freeze does not affect existing commitments under collective bargaining agreements, according to Hansen. The UC acquired several hospitals last year, expanding medical access and adding thousands of new employees with competitive wages and benefits, she said.

Hansen said they have informed UPTE and AFSCME that the hiring freeze does not change their existing commitments. She also said the UC are willing to meet and discuss any additional negotiable impacts, but, according to Hansen, they have not yet agreed.

Impacts on Campus

In addition to patient care, students and staff across all campuses are expected to see impacts on Tuesday, as 60,000 workers stay home or walk picket lines. In November and February during the previous two strikes that impacted UCLA, most dining halls were closed. Students reported long lines due to reduced dining hall locations and hours.

The UCLA Mail, Document, and Distribution Services warned employees that the strike may affect delivery services and encouraged departments to stock up on necessary supplies.

In February, strikers encouraged students to boycott on-campus shops to cut into the university's income, but that tactic will not be in use on May 1.