UC Santa Barbara Health and Service Workers Go on Strike Again
UCSB Workers Join UC-Wide Strike Calling for Affordable Healthcare Benefits, Livable Wages
Over 55,000 healthcare professionals, researchers, and service workers formed a University of California (UC)–wide picket line on Wednesday, with employees from two labor unions going on strike against the UC system’s alleged unfair bargaining practices. Nearly one thousand UC Santa Barbara staff participated, picketing in front of Storke Tower in shifts and marching down to the Chancellor’s Office to make their voices heard.
For one of the unions, AFSCME Local 3299, it will be their second strike in four months. “Truth be told, it’s sadly and eerily similar” to the union’s November strike, said Todd Stenhouse, a spokesperson for AFSCME. “The issues at stake are no mystery. This is not new.”
Workers from AFSCME and UPTE — the other union on strike representing healthcare, research, and technical UC employees — are calling for affordable healthcare benefits and livable wages to reduce staffing shortages. Both unions have been in contract negotiations with UC staff since last year, but claim that UC has not brought timely and reasonable offers to the table.
