UC Service Workers Strike To Protest Wages; Patient Care Unaffected

Thousands of unionized service employees at University of California campuses and medical centers statewide staged a one-day strike Thursday to protest low wages, the Sacramento Bee reports. Patient care was not disrupted at the hospitals, and classes continued as scheduled, according to UC officials (Rapaport/Martineau, Sacramento Bee, 4/15).

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 -- which represents 7,300 custodians, food service workers and some other employees -- called the strike, the San Francisco Chroniclereports.

UC service workers have not received a raise in about two years. According to the union, members' annual salaries on average are about $23,317 (Raine, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/15).

UC officials say the state's budget deficit has prevented them from increasing the workers' salaries. UC officials said the strike is illegal because negotiations have not been completed (Yang, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4/15). UC officials in a statement said that employees who were scheduled to work but were not present would not be paid (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/15).