Major Open-Ended Strike Averted at UC Campuses, Hospitals as Tentative Deal Reached

University of California’s frontline workers have canceled the system-wide strike originally planned to begin on Thursday after reaching a tentative agreement with the UC on Wednesday night. 

These 42,000 service and patient care workers — represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 (AFSCME) — have worked without a ratified contract since 2024, due to “stalled” negotiations with the UC, according to union leadership. 

Pushing for better wages, staffing, housing support, and lower health care costs, the union mounted five short-term strikes over the past two years — with no resolution.

Contract negotiations began in January 2024, but were put on pause by the UC for nine months. Steep disagreements on wages led to repeatedly stagnated negotiations. Bargaining officially resumed in January 2026, and a few months later, the union threatened to strike. 

Wednesday’s agreement came at the last minute to avert the scheduled, open-ended strike, which would have disrupted campus operations at UC Santa Barbara and marked the first indefinite work stoppage of its kind in UC history. 

At UCSB, the union represents about 600 workers, including custodians, dining hall staff, and patient care workers. With Santa Barbara living costs being especially pricey, the conversation around workers leaking out of the UC system due to affordability has held particular pertinence. 

“Over the past two years, a third of our members have left their jobs because they cannot afford to work at UC,” said Kathryn Lybarger, executive vice president of Local 3299, during an April livestream at UCSF announcing the strike.

Wednesday’s late-night agreement followed a week of “around the clock bargaining” — after months of failed negotiations — the union said in an announcement Thursday morning. 

“Under the terms agreed upon, the lowest-paid workers in the UC system will have won their largest wage increase ever and the most affordable healthcare rates at UC, alongside strong staffing and workplace safety protections,” AFSCME Local 3299 President Michael Avant said in a statement.

“It means UC’s most vulnerable workers will no longer have to choose between paying for healthcare and paying for groceries.”

According to the UC, the tentative agreement “provides generous wage increases and includes health care caps and stipends, ratification bonuses, equity pools to address systemwide pay disparities and longevity bonuses.” 

Wage increases include: A $1,500 lump sum for all non-probationary career workers; 4-6 percent increases every year for the next three years, as well as step increases; a 2 percent lump sum for those at top step each year; and minimum wage increases, reaching $30.10 by 2090. 

Additionally, the agreement includes 5 to 7.5 percent caps on healthcare rates, layoff protections, and other benefits.

“We’re glad to have reached an agreement with AFSCME that recognizes the important work these employees do every day across UC’s campuses and health centers,” said Missy Matella, associate vice president for systemwide employee and labor relations for the UC. “This contract delivers meaningful pay increases and addresses some of the real affordability pressures our employees are facing, while allowing us to move forward together focused on UC’s mission of patient care, teaching and research.” 

Avant thanked union members for their “persistence” and “sacrifice.” 

“To be clear, our members should never have had to endure two years without a contract,” he said. 

On Thursday, he affirmed, “42,000 UC Service and Patient Care Technical workers will not be on strike. They will be back at work, doing what they love — serving UC patients and students. And we will be urging our members to vote YES on ratifying this new agreement.” 

Union members will vote on ratification May 19-21.