University of California officials announced today (May 27) that UC has filed charges and a request for a temporary restraining order with the Public Employment Relations Board against Local 3299 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union that represents approximately 19,000 UC patient care technical and service employees. These actions come after months of negotiations for new labor contracts for both employee groups, and the union's recent announcement that it intends to strike UC medical centers and campuses June 4-5.

"The university continues to be available for any further discussions to achieve an acceptable compromise. However, we are obligated to take this action to protect our patients and the communities that rely on UC medical centers for vital services," said Howard Pripas, executive director of labor relations at UC.

According to UC, the bargaining record demonstrates the university's genuine effort to reach agreement with AFSCME through increasingly improved proposals concerning wages and other issues important to UC employees, such as professional and educational development leave. UC's latest proposals include almost $25 million in combined wage increases in the first year of the respective contracts.

While all UC locations have contingency plans to continue operations in the event of a strike, the university requested a temporary restraining order with PERB based in large part on the role UC patient care technical and service employees play in protecting public health and safety at the five University of California medical centers across the state.

More information on bargaining can be found online at: www.ucpatientcaretechs.com
http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/employees/policies_employee_labor_relations/collective_bargaining_units/service_sx/bargaining_update.html

For more news and information about the University of California: www.universityofcalifornia.edu