Beginning on May 14, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 will launch an open-ended strike. Citing unfair labor practices, employees represented by AFSCME 3299 will withhold their labor indefinitely.

AFSCME 3299 represents almost 39,000 employees in service and patient care across the University of California. This open-ended unfair labor practice strike follows an ongoing series of contract negotiations between AFSCME 3299 and the UC bargaining team that began over two years ago in January 2024.

Though AFSCME 3299 members have gone on strike several times over the course of these negotiations, this is the first time they have announced a strike without a definite end date. 

In a blog post on April 15, AFSCME 3299 announced it had filed two ULP charges with the Public Employment Relations Board against the UC system because of “unlawful imposition of healthcare increases and other unlawful terms” and “refusal to bargain over our housing benefits.” 

Later that day, the UC released a statement expressing “[disappointment] that AFSCME is moving toward an open-ended strike.”

“We recognize that many employees are facing real pressures related to housing, commuting, and the high cost of living, and those concerns are central to these negotiations,” the statement read. “[We] believe an open-ended strike is unnecessary and risks disruption for patients, students, and campus operations.”

One week later, on April 24, the UC followed up with a press release about its most recent contract offer. The contract includes “stronger wage growth, new financial protections, and meaningful improvements to working conditions,” according to the UC.

AFSCME 3299’s most recent bargaining update, from April 21 to April 22, affirms that the union is still preparing to strike. 

“While UC demands staff to keep hospitals and campuses running 24/7, its offer to increase the $1 minimum differential night-shift employees — who sacrifice their health and well-being — by a meager 25 cents shows how little it values this essential work,” the update read. “UC’s continuous refusal to invest in its employees directly contributes to staffing shortages and turnover.”

This is an ongoing story. The UCSD Guardian will continue to provide updated coverage as the story develops.