Thousands of UC Service, Patient Care Workers Threaten First Open-Ended Strike

A union representing roughly 42,000 service and patient care workers across the University of California system has announced plans for an open-ended strike beginning May 14 — a move that could disrupt campus operations at UC Santa Barbara and mark the first indefinite work stoppage of its kind in UC history.

The workers, represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 (AFSCME), have been without a ratified contract since 2024 and are currently in negotiations with the university over wages, health care costs, staffing, and housing support. Union leaders say those talks have stalled.

“This will be the first open-ended strike in UC history,” said union president Michael Avant, a patient transporter at UC San Diego Medical Center. “For more than two years, our good-faith efforts have not moved the university.”

At UC Santa Barbara, the union represents about 600 workers, including custodians, dining hall staff, and patient care workers. “We clean the dorm rooms…We take care of you… We are the health professionals,” said Kathryn Lybarger, executive vice president of Local 3299, during a livestream at UCSF announcing the strike. “We are mostly women and people of color… and we are also UC’s lowest paid employees.”

The strike threat follows a series of shorter labor actions in recent years. In November 2025, tens of thousands of AFSCME workers — including those at UCSB — walked off the job for two days, citing wage stagnation and housing costs that have outpaced earnings. That action, like others before it, ended without a long-term resolution.

“We have mounted five short-term strikes to try to get the university to negotiate in good faith,” Avant said. “We have thought long and hard about what comes next.”

What comes next, union leaders say, is a strike with no predetermined end date.

The escalation comes after the UC system just reached resolution with another union within their worker makeup. In March, the university signed a contract with roughly 40,000 workers represented by the United Auto Workers Local 4811 following statewide demonstrations.

But AFSCME negotiations have remained unresolved. The union has filed two unfair labor practice complaints with the state’s Public Employment Relations Board, alleging that UC imposed changes to health care costs and refused to bargain over housing assistance. The union says affordability — such as in high-cost regions like Santa Barbara — is driving workers out of the system.

“Over the past two years, a third of our members have left their jobs because they cannot afford to work at UC,” Lybarger said.

University officials dispute the claims and say negotiations are ongoing. The board has not yet determined if UC is guilty of these allegations. 

In a statement released April 15, UC said it is “disappointed” by the strike announcement and pointed to what it described as significant movement at the bargaining table, including a proposed 32.3 percent total wage increase through 2029 and a $1,000 bonus for employees.

For example, under the proposal, a senior custodian currently earning about $70,000 would see their salary rise to roughly $89,000 by 2029. UC officials have described the package as their “highest-value offer to date.” The next bargaining session is scheduled for April 21. If no agreement is reached and the strike proceeds, campuses could see disruptions to dining services, custodial operations, and some patient care functions, depending on staffing levels.

“We recognize that many employees are facing real pressures related to housing, commuting, and the high cost of living,” the statement read. “Given this progress, we believe an open-ended strike is unnecessary and risks disruption for patients, students, and campus operations.”