bruins, here's how you can help campus workers who are about to go on strike!
as some of you may already know via the email UCLA sent out, the worker union AFSCME 3299 are beginning their indefinite strike THIS THURSDAY (May 14th) and we want to help the people that run our university!! It would be amazing if we could show up for them, learn about their demands, and also help in other ways!
for context, these are the workers who keep UCLA functioning every single day, including hospital patient care workers, service workers, custodians, food service and dining hall workers, medical center workers, and so many other staff who do the work that makes this campus livable! they’ve been without a contract since 2024 because UC has refused to meet them at the table with the respect they deserve.
their current demands are very basic and include asks for livable wages, housing and job security, pension protections, and affordable healthcare. the people who keep UC running should be able to afford to live, get the care they need, retire with dignity, and not have their lives thrown into precarity because our university wants to drag its feet! (link to AFSCME 3299 demands, worker testimonials, and more: https://afscme3299.org/our-fight/#our-demands)
picket info:
time: 8am to 1pm
starting: thursday, may 14th, continuing each strike day (since it's indefinite)!
location: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (757 Westwood Plaza, outside the medical center entrance near Westwood Plaza)
below are some ways students can support!!
1) join the pickets! one of the best ways students can support is by joining the picket lines! even coming for part of the day helps strengthen turnout and shows AFSCME workers, and the UC, that students are paying attention and ready to stand up for workers' rights!
2) student-workers, avoid picking up strike-impacted shifts! if you are a student worker, please do not pick up struck work or take on tasks meant to replace striking workers! a strike is strongest when the university cannot simply shift the work onto other people.
3) try not to spend money at UCLA-affiliated businesses during the strike! meal swipes are prepaid, so you can still go to dining halls without crossing the picket line. outside of those needs, avoid spending money at UCLA-affiliated businesses (e.g. Hilltop, UCLA store, etc) during the strike. discretionary spending helps UC maintain business as usual, and the point of a strike is to disrupt exactly that!
4) join the strike solidarity groupme :D! this is meant to connect supportive students across UCLA who want to stay updated about picket activity, turnout needs, and other ways to support. link to the groupme! --> https://groupme.com/join_group/114441470/pL5cSmfJ
please come out if you can, even a little bit of time on the picket line helps y'all!