UC Workers Ratify ‘Best Contract Yet’ After Four Strikes and 17 Months of Negotiations

Four strikes and a year-and-a-half of negotiations later, the union representing 21,000 healthcare, research, and technical professionals across the University of California system — including around 400 employees at UC Santa Barbara — has ratified a new labor contract. 

UPTE-CWA 9119 announced Thursday that 98 percent of voting members approved the agreement which UPTE leadership called a historic win for its members. The deal follows months of escalating labor actions, including UPTE’s largest-ever strikes, and went into effect immediately following the vote.

“This agreement reflects the collective strength of workers organizing to hold UC accountable to its mission as a world-class research, educational, and healthcare institution,” said Dan Russell, UPTE president and IT professional at UC Berkeley, in a press release.

In an interview, Ursula Quinn, vice president of UPTE and an occupational therapist at UCLA’s psychiatric hospital, called it the union’s strongest contract yet. “We’re really excited to say this is our best one ever,” Quinn said. “We always want more, but this contract sets us up to win even more next time around.”

The new agreement, which runs through 2028, includes the largest pay raises in UPTE’s history, protections against healthcare premium spikes, expanded leave policies, and key job security provisions. Among them are equity increases for certain job titles, lump-sum payments for employees who have reached the top of their salary scale, and retroactive raises back to late November 2025.

Quinn said the level of worker participation was a driving factor. “We had more people come out on those strikes than ever before,” she said. “That helped us not only win our own fight, but also offer solidarity to our sibling unions, CNA and AFSCME.”

The UC has yet to reach agreements with AFSCME, whose members went on strike systemwide November 17 and 18. UPTE had previously planned to join but called off its participation after reaching the tentative deal on November 8. CNA (California Nurses Association) recently announced a tentative agreement of its own, while AFSCME remains out of contract.

Quinn also voiced criticism of UC’s broader budget priorities, especially in light of ongoing tuition increases. “It really is very curious to me that, as a public institution, they wouldn’t prioritize using their revenue to cap or minimize tuition,” she said. “It’s not a hedge fund. It’s not a real estate company. It’s a public service institution.”

UC officials have cited rising costs and state funding shortfalls as reasons for renewing the Tuition Stability Plan — a cohort-based tuition model that locks in annual tuition hikes for new student classes.

Quinn said that UPTE hopes its agreement will not only improve working conditions but also improve services across UC campuses and hospitals. “Being able to recruit and retain clinicians means being able to provide better and more timely support,” she said. “I’m really glad I’m back with my patients.”

While the previous contract took nearly two years to settle, Quinn noted this round of bargaining lasted 16 months, with members out of contract for just one year. “Yes, it still felt too long,” she said. “Why would it take them so long to recognize how valuable the work is that we do?”

The new contract, she said, should make it easier to keep experienced staff in the system. “That’s what it’s about — taking care of patients, supporting students, and making sure UC lives up to its mission.”

“One goal: reset UC’s priorities to better serve all Californians,” the union wrote on its website. “This contract is a big step toward that.”