The University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union has planned a strike authorization vote for late September due to stalled negotiations with the University of California.
The union, which represents more than 20,000 technical, research and health care workers in the UC system, said in a statement that is prepared for a multiday work stoppage across all UC campuses should the members vote to authorize a strike.
Negotiations between the union and administration over a new contract have been stalled for more than 15 months. A statement from the Berkeley-based communications firm The Worker Agency says that the UC system is facing a staffing crisis in its educational, research and health care sectors. It alleges that the UC has refused to offer fair wage increases, proposed uncapped healthcare costs, and used threats of federal funding cuts to justify layoffs.
If the union approves a strike, it would be its fifth strike since June 2024, when negotiations began. The union has already gone on strike multiple times this year.
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