Just days after tentative agreements were announced, roughly 40,000 unionized workers across the University of California system have voted to ratify new four-year contracts following months of demonstrations, strike threats, and sustained bargaining.
According to the United Auto Workers Local 4811, about 28,000 academic student employees approved the agreement with 89.2 percent voting in favor, while roughly 12,000 research, public service, and student services professionals — many securing their first union contract — approved theirs with 98.5 percent support.
The contracts took effect immediately after the vote concluded Friday.
Union leaders said the ratification was the culmination of an eight-month organizing campaign that included statewide practice pickets at all 10 UC campuses, including UC Santa Barbara.
“Having a union contract in place means that UC is now a place where we have agency to build sustainable careers,” Brianna McGuire, co-chair of the Research and Public Service Professionals bargaining team from UC Davis, said in a UAW press release.
The agreements include broad pay raises and changes aimed at stabilizing employment. Academic student employees will move to a single salary scale by 2029, with increases ranging from about 12 percent to nearly 45 percent. Hourly workers are expected to shift to a unified statewide pay scale by 2026, with raises between 10 percent and more than 60 percent.
The agreements also eliminate tiered wage systems for teaching assistants and prevent the university from lowering established pay steps during the contract term. Graduate student researchers will receive $14.5 million in back pay tied to earlier compensation reductions.
Support for working parents was another focus. The contracts raise childcare reimbursements by 46 percent and expand access to premium-free health coverage for some dependents.
Union leaders also pointed to immigration-related protections, including a $400,000 legal consultation fund, required campus notifications if federal immigration agents are present, and up to three weeks of paid leave for visa-related travel.
“We are thrilled to have secured a contract that improves wages and benefits, protects international worker rights and defends our rights as workers,” said Rafael Jaime, president of UAW Local 4811 in a statement. “In the months ahead, we look forward to working with UC to protect higher education, research funding, and science itself from the onslaught of the Trump administration.”
The contracts also expand paid leave policies — including provisions for bereavement, reproductive loss, and violence-related legal proceedings — and introduce faster timelines for resolving discrimination and harassment complaints.
Labor leaders emphasized that the agreements demonstrate the leverage gained through collective action. These agreements will run through December 2029, with negotiations for the next contract scheduled to begin before expiration.
