Workers represented by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3299 and University Professional and Technical Employees, CWA 9119 (UPTE) are going on strike this week over unfair labor practices by the UC. AFSCME 3299 represents over 37,000 service, patient care and skilled craft workers across the UC, while UPTE represents over 18,000 research support, healthcare and technical workers.
Both unions cited new rules that limit workers’ speech and public expression activities like leafleting as evidence of bad faith bargaining by the university. AFSCME 3299 is striking on Wednesday and Thursday (2/26-2/27), while UPTE is striking from Wednesday to Friday (2/26-2/28).
This post, updated by members of our News Department, seeks to provide up-to-date information and developments regarding the UC workers’ strike, and will be periodically updated. See yesterday’s update feed (2/26/25) here.
Live Feed:
3:40pm – Picketing wraps up
AFSCME strike ends at midnight, and UPTE strike continues on Friday.
3:35pm – Pickets move back towards Bruin Plaza
Demonstrators chant “we’ll be back” as they march away from the Luskin
3:09pm – Demonstrators continue to circle in front of the Luskin Center
2:59pm – Pickets are now in front of the Luskin Conference Center
More chants continue – “If we don’t get it, shut it down”, “no justice, no peace”. A UCPD police car is at the scene.
2:57pm – Demonstrations resume in Bruin Plaza
Demonstrators pass by the UCLA store, heading towards the engineering buildings. They chant “Whose university? Our university” as they march.
12:37pm – UC Divest community discussion begins
Students in attendance are inviting workers to join the community discussion as part of the UC Divest Coalition’s “Reimagining UCLA For The People, By The People” town hall.
12:12pm – Students hang banners from Arthur Ashe Medical Center and Ackerman Union
The banners by the UC Divest Coalition name UCLA #1 In Worker Repression and Poverty Wages and #1 In Treating Workers Like Sh*t. Chants of “Shame, shame, shame on UC” can be heard.
12:00pm – UC Divest Town Hall begins in Bruin Plaza
The UC Divest Coalition, of which SLAP is a member organization, is holding a “Reimagining UCLA For The People, By The People” town hall in Bruin Plaza. In a post urging students to join the picket line, the coalition wrote that “in refusing to meet the demands of striking workers or UC students opposing war and genocide, the UC system flaunts its lack of care for the wellbeing of the people.”
Students continue to hand out flyers and offer free meals outside Ackerman Union to encourage the boycott of ASUCLA restaurants and stores. AFSCME workers are taking a lunch break in Bruin Plaza.
11:32am – AFSCME protestors are passing Covel Commons and heading towards Sproul Turnaround
11:09am – Picketers begin a new march towards the Hill
11:00am – Student solidarity organizers resume flyering outside Ackerman Union
The organizers are urging students to not buy from or use meal swipes at ASUCLA restaurants or stores, in order to amplify the strike’s economic impacts on the UC. Students are distributing free meals and fruit to students in need of a meal on Ackerman patio to discourage dining at ASUCLA locations.
10:17am – UPTE marchers continue through Bruin Plaza, head back towards Ronald Reagan Medical Center
10:11am – UPTE now marching through Royce quad and down the Tongva Steps
CSC event staff is positioned outside the entrances to Royce Hall, Haines Hall, Powell Library, the Student Activities Center, and Kaufman Hall. Marchers are ringing cowbells and chanting “who’s got the power, we got the power, what kind of power, union power”
10:02am – UPTE now turns back towards campus
Around 150 picketers chant “we’ll be back” as they march away from the School of Law.
9:58am – UPTE is gathered outside the School of Law entrance
A speaker calls “Make sure they can hear you” followed by cheers from the workers. Chants of “UPTE on strike, all day, all night” can be heard.
9:56am – March is turning behind Dodd Hall and heading North
9:50am – UPTE starts to march from Dickson Court North moving between Dodd Hall and Murphy Hall
Picketers are chanting “we’re fired up, can’t take it no more.” 4 CSC security on bikes continue to weave through the march.
9:37am – March moves back toward Bruin Plaza [Updated 9:45am]
Chanting “Whose university? Our university!”, AFSCME and UPTE picketers march through Dickson Plaza (Royce Quad) and down the Tongva Steps, while a large cluster of UPTE workers moves into the center of Dickson Court.
9:08am – Striking workers march across north campus [Updated 9:23am]
The march has turned by Dodd and Murphy Hall, looping around north campus.
8:54am – New march begins on campus [Updated 9:05am]
Striking AFSCME workers on campus, joined by UPTE and AFSCME picketers from the Ronald Reagan Medical Center, have started to march east up Bruinwalk. Marshals are directing marchers through Kerckhoff Patio, moving toward Pritzker Hall.
UCPD is monitoring the march on campus, in addition to UCLA public safety aides. CSC Security officials are blocking the entrance to Murphy Hall and a UCPD car is parked in Dickson Plaza.
As of Feb. 26, UCPD has acknowledged its response to the strike. UCPD stated that it is “monitoring the labor demonstrations… [they] appreciate union members for respecting campus safety as they demonstrated.”
8:08am – AFSCME march ends
Striking workers have returned to Bruin Plaza.
7:50am – AFSCME march loops back around UCPD Building, Ronald Reagan Medical Center
UCPD and traffic management are on the scene. Delivery pickets have joined the main march, turning away 4 trucks and 8 police cars. Passing cars honk in support as workers chant “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”
7:15am – AFSCME picketers start marching; delivery pickets continue
About 250 striking workers on UCLA campus have begun their first march of the day, heading south from Bruin Plaza down the sidewalk of Westwood Blvd.
Demonstrators not affiliated with the AFSCME union have been engaged in delivery pickets at medical buildings since 6 a.m..
6:00am – AFSCME 3299 workers return to campus to start pickets
The second and final day of AFSCME 3299 pickets across the UC is set to begin as striking workers return to Bruin Plaza, the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center and the UCLA Santa Monica hospital.
UPTE-CWA 9119 pickets are expected to begin at 7:00 a.m. at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center and Santa Monica Hospital, and at 7:30 a.m. at the UCLA West Valley Medical Center.
Contributing reports by:
Ria Bose
Ella Mitchell
Luke Timothy Negri
Ellis Wren
Kirsten Yu
