A Fight to Live, Not Just to Survive

A Fight to Live, Not Just to Survive

The University of California, which we know and respect, is in trouble. Over 13,000 frontline UC Service and Patient Care Workers have left their jobs in the last four years due to declining job quality, chronic understaffing, declining wages, and the inability to afford living near work. But frontline workers are fighting back and holding UC accountable!

 

We are going on STRIKE  Mon, Nov 17 – Tue. Nov. 18. To join us at the closest picketline, click here. 

WE RUN UC.

We’re over 40,000 UC frontline workers. We are the ones who greet you when you walk in to the hospital, who answer the call button when you’re sick, who feed your hungry college student, who clean students’ dorm rooms that are living away from home for the first time, and so much more. UC wouldn’t be the renowned institution that it is without us.

Become a member today!
  • UC Davis Custodial Services worker transporting supply boxes on a hand truck from a delivery truck
  • UC Davis grounds worker in safety vest raking leaves and debris in a landscaped area
  • UC Davis food service worker slicing yellow squash at a commercial kitchen prep station
  • UC Davis worker reviewing inventory paperwork at the back of a delivery truck
  • Smiling UC Davis Facilities Management driver sitting in a white delivery truck
  • UC Davis custodial worker mopping outdoor steps with yellow safety caution sign nearby
  • UC Davis food service worker in black apron examining packaged ground meat in restaurant kitchen
  • UC Davis food service worker in UCLA cap holding a tray of freshly toasted bread in commercial kitchen
  • UC Davis food service worker operating a commercial coffee machine
  • UC Davis landscaping worker with shovel standing next to potted plants outdoors
  • UC Davis custodial worker operating a floor cleaning machine in a food service area with safety sign
  • UC Davis food service worker in hairnet and apron preparing salad at a commercial kitchen workstation
  • UC Davis food service worker in hairnet and apron preparing salad at a commercial kitchen workstation
  • Smiling healthcare worker in blue surgical scrubs and hairnet organizing supplies in a hospital supply room

OUR DEMANDS

We are fighting for a contract that holds UC accountable to the standards that make it one of the top universities and hospitals in the nation. Without its frontline workers, UC doesn’t run. Frontline workers deserve to live, not just survive. They deserve:

Liveable Wages

Workers have seen their real wages decline by 7% over the past few years. We need market-competitive wages to retain and recruit staff.

Housing Benefit

Since 2020, UC has given $1.6 billion in housing assistance loans to its higher earners. If they can do it for those on top, they can do it for us. We’re the ones commuting long distances and struggling to pay for gas, parking, and put food on the table.

Affordable Healthcare

With the rising cost of healthcare and our low wages, we can’t afford to take care of ourselves. We deserve affordable healthcare for our own peace of mind.

Job Security

The University continues to expand throughout the entire state, yet chronic understaffing is an issue everywhere. We deserve safe staffing levels and secure jobs!

THIS IS ABOUT FAIRNESS.

While UC frontline workers struggle, UC’s top executives flourish.

Illustration representing UC Regents and greed
  • UC Executives, Chancellors, and Presidents have seen their real wages rise by 52%
  • UC managers and supervisors continue to receive hefty bonuses
  • In the last year, 500 executives and faculty have received $532 million in low-interest home loans
  • UC's revenue has doubled over the last decade, and they brag about it
  • UC holds at least $10 billion in unrestricted cash reserves, and according to a recent State Audit, significant unused land parcels that could be developed into affordable workforce housing

So no, we're not asking for a lot; we are asking for what is fair.

UC WORKERS DESERVE BETTER.

After being lauded as heroes during the pandemic, today, frontline workers have seen their real wages decline, their housing options disappear, their workloads increase, and their departments strained to the breaking point.

WE ARE FIGHTING TO LIVE:

Meet Davina

Meet Davina

She’s a super-commuter who deserves to live near where she works, UCLA.
Meet Ruth

Meet Ruth

She’s drowning in healthcare bills and deserves affordable healthcare to stay healthy.
Meet Carmen

Meet Carmen

The rising costs of living have her fearful that she may become houseless again.
Meet Deshundre

Meet Deshundre

He’s living in a houseless shelter despite working full-time. He deserves stability.
Meet Rosa

Meet Rosa

She was living out of her car. She deserves the same housing assistance UC executives receive.

Bargaining Updates

And while we attempt to bargain for a fair and just contract, all UC has done is break the law. We have filed four Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs) against UC due to their serial lawbreaking over the past year.

Bargaining with UC has not been easy, but we continue to fight! We will hold UC accountable and fight for the UC we know and respect. And it starts with putting respect on the workers who run UC! 

We will not stop fighting until we win! Because when we fight, we win!

Join us in our fight to demand a fair contract now and for UC to get its priorities straight!