At 11 a.m. on May 1, thousands of union workers and San Diego community members marched from Hillcrest Medical Center to Balboa Park for a rally commemorating International Workers’ Day, also referred to as May Day. 

The event was primarily led by American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 3299 and University Professional Technical Employees CWA Local 9119. Both of these unions represent University of California employees across service, healthcare, and technical positions. 

Both unions have been on strike for several months while they negotiate new contracts with the UC bargaining team. UPTE-CWA 9119 has been striking for nine months, and AFSCME 3299 has withheld labor for over a year at time of publishing. 

Many other unions, including but not limited to the California Nurses Association, UNITE HERE Local 30, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 122, American Federation of Government Employees District 12, American Postal Workers Union joined AFSCME 3299 and UPTE-CWA 9119 to march in solidarity.

Though May Day is an international holiday for all workers, this rally specifically protested the UC system-wide hiring freeze instituted by exiting UC President Dr. Michael Drake on March 19.

Drake stated that the freeze is meant to help conserve funds as several federal funding cuts and executive orders threaten future research in public universities across the nation, including at UC San Diego.

Workers referred to the hiring freeze as a symptom of neglect from both the University and presidential administration as part of a system that prioritizes profit over the wellbeing of its workers.

Brigette Browning, president of UNITE HERE Local 30 and president of San Diego Imperial Counties Labor Council, spoke on the importance of solidarity among all workers against actions like the UC hiring freeze. 

“I know a lot of you have been in negotiations recently,” Browning said to the crowd. “I feel like we could just videotape the boss, cause it’s all the same story. ‘We don’t have any money, inflation …’ But even when the economy’s good, they say the same bullshit. But there’s always money for them, do you notice that? [The chancellor] doesn’t have to worry about housing costs while he makes millions of dollars and he has 3299 workers making 18 bucks an hour.”

On April 15, UPTE-CWA 9119 filed an unfair labor practice charge with the California Public Employment Relations board against the UC Regents, demanding that UC rescind the hiring freeze and bargain in good faith.

The UC Office of the President did not address the charge until the day before the strike. Its April 30 statement confirmed that the hiring freeze only applies to future hires and will not impact the status of current employees.

“Each UC location is implementing the freeze based on its specific needs, financial situation and pre-existing protocols,” the statement read. “The University has informed stakeholders, including AFSCME and UPTE, that the hiring freeze doesn’t alter commitments under collective bargaining agreements or established policies.” 

Throughout the day, union members gave speeches about their struggles in the workplace. Among the speakers were non-union San Diego community members and representatives such as San Diego city council member Sean Elo-Rivera and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre.

Siu Mei Ma, a discharge pharmacist at UCSD Jacobs Medical Center and member of UPTE-CWA 9119, gave the first speech at Balboa Park. Ma described how she, like many other members in the medical field, feels overwhelmed at her workplace. 

“As the UC opens up more facilities to treat more patients, we are only getting busier,” she said. “The number of prescriptions we dispense has doubled since COVID, but since then, we have not hired more staff to accommodate the work. While we would all like to be able to attend to our patients, every single one of them in person, we’re limited by the resources we are given.”

Anna Sindelar, a nurse at UCSD Hillcrest Medical Center, affirmed CNA’s solidarity with the striking unions. CNA is a union that represents over 100,000 nurses in more than 200 facilities across California, including UCSD hospitals. 

Its current contract will expire in October, but it is already preparing to strike in anticipation of similarly long and difficult contract negotiations. Sindelar encouraged others in her union to be prepared to strike if necessary. 

“As nurses, we see the dysfunction in our healthcare system every single day,” Sindelar said. “We see our coworkers struggling over an ever-increasing workload, with less and less help. And we see UC awarding 78% pay increases to the chancellor. … And now we see UC implementing a hiring freeze and refusing to bargain fairly with the most important workers in our organization. … We know our patients deserve better, and so do we.”

Many San Diego community members also joined the march and rally to fight for the fair treatment of workers, as well as to protest the Trump administration. 

Ashley Michel is a substitute teacher who joined the march to support UPTE-CWA 9119 in its struggle to negotiate a contract with the UC bargaining team. 

“As I understand, UPTE is on strike to make sure that their workers have better working conditions, fair pay,” Michel said. “I identify as a first-generation college student, and if it weren’t for my lecturers and my university professors, I would not have had half of the opportunities that I did, so I think that it’s important to see them as part of the labor movement and to elevate their struggle, as any other worker.” 

Many union members indicated that their unions are planning future strikes, and they intend to continue withholding their labor until they see significant changes. 

“We call upon UC to reset their jumbled priorities and redirect back towards their mission statement, which is ‘to deliver exceptional care that improves the health and well-being of all people in California, the nation, and the world,’” Ma said. “So, I am prepared to strike as many times as it takes to ensure our patients receive the exceptional care that UC promises to deliver.”

This is an ongoing story. The UCSD Guardian will continue to cover UPTE-CWA 9119 and AFSCME 3299 strikes.