The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 3299 will begin a strike between Nov. 20 and Nov. 21. 

The union represents over 35,000 employees in the University of California system, including service workers, patient care technical workers, and more across the UC campuses, medical centers, research laboratories, and UC Law San Francisco.

The strike follows AFSCME 3299’s voting overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, with over 99% of union members voting for a strike, according to an Instagram post by the union on Oct. 31. Voting took place primarily online over the course of three days, from Oct. 28 to Oct. 30.

The strike will directly impact students at UC San Diego. “Students can expect that their dorms are not going to be clean because a lot of the [union members] are custodians or janitors,” AFSCME Local 3299 Student Organizing Intern Christina Marie Green said.

“The dining halls and Price Center are not going to be cleaned. You’re also going to see a lot of the workers being present on campus and visibly showing their support for the strike or participating in the strike itself,” she said. 

The planned strike follows an unfair labor practice charge the union filed against the University of California. 

This ULP arises from an impasse in negotiations between the UC and AFSCME Local 3299.

AFSCME Local 3299’s press release on Nov. 8 specifically alleges that the UC: 

• Unilaterally increased workers’ healthcare costs by 9-11%
• Withheld critical information for bargaining
• Came unprepared and with no authority to bargain 

“By refusing to bargain in good faith, the University has made it clear that it does not value the frontline workers who clean its facilities, serve students food, and treat patients,” AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant said in the Nov. 8 press release.

“Instead of being a constructive and transparent partner seeking to bring us closer to agreement, UC has sought to drive us farther apart by consistently being unprepared, unresponsive, and by announcing plans to sidestep the bargaining process altogether and unilaterally impose huge increases in employee healthcare costs,” Avant stated.

The UC rejects the accusation that it negotiated in bad faith with the union. 

“From January to May, University of California and AFSCME bargaining teams met 22 times and worked collaboratively on proposals for the UC AFSCME-represented employees,” an official press release published by the UC on Nov. 8 reads. 

“The University’s proposals include $700 million in economic increases for AFSCME members and a direct response to what AFSCME had asked for the greater of a $25 an hour minimum wage or a 5% across-the-board raise. … AFSCME’s strike notice is not a surprise, but it is premature and is a disheartening development, nonetheless.”

The UCSD Guardian will provide ongoing coverage of the strike as it begins.