Last Thursday at approximately 9:30 a.m., officers from the University of California Police Department zip-tied and arrested an estimated two dozen labor advocates during the May 15 session of the UC Regents meeting. At the time of publishing, it is unclear what followed the arrests and what charges the arrestees face.
The UC Regents meeting occurred this past week from Tuesday, May 13, to Thursday, May 15, at UC San Francisco’s William J. Rutter Center. Labor advocates first began chanting, “Whose university? Our university!” after the public comment section of the meeting.
Regent Janet Reilly addressed the demonstrators, warning: “You are welcome to sit and observe this meeting, but you are not welcome to disturb [it].”
While the chants continued, Reilly announced that the meeting would resume in another space and instructed the Regents to leave the room. The livestream of the meeting was paused for approximately 15 minutes, switching to an image of the UC logo. During those 15 minutes, UCPD officers arrested the demonstrators.
On May 18, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 — a union representing more than 35,000 service workers — sent The UCSD Guardian a statement recounting the arrests. According to the statement, arrestees attended the meeting in solidarity with UC service, patient care, and technical workers “who have been working without a contract for nearly a year.”
AFSCME 3299, along with University Professional and Technical Employees CWA Local 9119 — a union representing over 20,000 healthcare, research, and technical employees — has been in contract negotiations with the UC bargaining team since January 2024. The unions are negotiating for increased wages and resources for UC frontline workers such as custodians and medical technicians. Since Fall Quarter 2024, both unions have staged strikes several times.
Hundreds of AFSCME 3299 members marched in San Francisco before and during the May 15 Regents meeting, holding signs that read, “Fair Contract Now!” Some attendees spoke during the public comment section of the meeting. These speakers included labor leaders such as President of the California Labor Federation Lorena Gonzalez, AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant Jr., and AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride.
In total, over 140 members of the public signed up to give public comment during the May 15 meeting. Many of these speakers expressed their disappointment with recent contract negotiations between the unions and the UC bargaining team. Other comments further highlighted frustrations in the face of a heightened staffing vacancy crisis, low wages, and rising healthcare costs across the UC.
“I bring a message from our 1.4 million members: The eyes of our union are on you; the eyes of the labor movement are on you; the eyes of our nation are on you,” McBride said during her minute of speaking time. “Custodians, nurses, surgical techs make the UC the top-notch institution that it is, and they are asking for the resources they need to do their jobs with excellence and the compensation they need to live with dignity. As Regents, you have the opportunity and the responsibility to influence contract negotiations, and we are asking you to stand up for the values that animate this University and that means standing up for workers.”
This is an ongoing story. The Guardian will continue to monitor its developments.