On Nov. 20 and Nov. 21, the University of California, Riverside’s (UCR) American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 (AFSCME Local 3299) joined other UC campuses and health care centers to protest UC’s “bad faith bargaining” and “unfair labor practices.”
With nearly 40,000 UC workers protesting systemwide, including about 100 workers at UCR, President Michael Avant of AFSCME Local 3299 said in a statement that “UC has sought to drive us further apart” in the negotiation process “by failing to meet its most basic legal responsibilities to the dedicated professionals who clean its facilities, serve students food and treat its patients.”
UC officials responded to the statement, saying that they “fundamentally disagree with AFSCME’s claims” and that “collaboration ceased in May when AFSCME stopped responding or even acknowledging the university’s proposals,” which includes a raise in wages to $25 per hour by 2025 and an increase in pay by an average of 26% over a five-year contract.
AFSCME Local 3299 is the backbone of all UC campuses, particularly at UCR. Because of that, The Highlander Editorial Board supports AFSCME Local 3299 and calls on the UC to hear their workers’ immediate demands to secure a living wage and adequate healthcare benefits.
According to UCR’s job website, service workers, such as senior food service and custodians, have wages ranging between $18.90 – $23.50 and $20.05 – $27.51 per hour, respectively. Individual wages vary based on “a variety of considerations, such as education, licensure and certifications, experience and other business and organizational needs.”
Earning between $41,864 to $57,441, these workers’ wages are thousands of dollars below what is necessary for California residents to live comfortably in one of the most expensive places in the nation. This wage disparity is further exacerbated by post-pandemic inflation, which has ballooned nearly 20% since 2020 and is the nation’s highest rate, according to the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Increasing wages to meet state affordability levels for AFSCME Local 3299 members is long overdue and must be addressed immediately — not incrementally over a five-year contract, as the future economy is unpredictable. While the UC has stated they can increase wages to $25/hour in 2025 and over five years, this is inadequate to meet workers’ current financial needs.
Another AFSCME Local 3299 concern is the UC’s intention to hike health care premiums, increase co-pays and impose coinsurance for some specialty drugs, leading to an $800 cut in take-home pay. While UC says that employees’ health care premiums “have not changed and will not potentially change until contracts are finalized,” this statement is disingenuous, as health care costs are rising nationwide.
In 2022, for instance, health care costs are expected to increase by 19.7% by 2032. Although the UC cannot control these costs, they should shoulder paying more of the health care premiums for these lower-paid employees — particularly at a time when the UC chancellors, among the highest-paid employees, received a nearly 30% salary raise this year.
An $800 reduction may seem manageable, but for many AFSCME Local 3299 workers, every dollar counts. Studies show that when people cannot afford health care, they are more likely to experience higher rates of chronic conditions due to a lack of preventative care. As a leading provider of health care, education and services, the UC has a moral responsibility to ensure its employees pay affordable health care premiums.
Reaching an agreement with the UC is possible. In 2022, for example, UCR academic workers, as part of the United Auto Workers 4811 (UAW 4811), conducted a month-long strike to gain important wage concessions. Similarly, last year, pro-Palestinian students seeking the campus’ divesture from Israel, effectively protested at the campus Bell Tower skillfully using social media, including Instagram stories and live videos, to broaden their message. Their efforts led to the first amicable negotiation agreement with the UC administration.
Unlike these groups, AFSCME Local 3299 may not have the luxury to strike for an extended period or use social media to broaden their message. Therefore, The Highlander Editorial Board strongly urges UCR students to support these essential campus workers now. To gain traction and help them, UCR students need to join the protest online, communicate directly to UC President Michael Drake and pressure the UC administration to bargain in good faith.
It’s critical that UCR students support the workers who make this campus run. Let’s be clear: Nothing on this campus works without the labor of service and health care workers. Without them, students wouldn’t be able to eat food at campus dining halls, residence halls would look like war zones and students would not be able to receive critical medical care.
UCR’s campus community should care about the welfare of all staff who make the student experience better. But, more importantly, UCR students should support AFSCME Local 3299 because it is the right thing to do.
