By Mona Zhao
April 13, 2023
Dozens of UC employees gathered outside a UC Board of Regents meeting at Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center to call for higher wages.
The rally, put on by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 – which represents more than 30,000 UC service workers and skilled craft workers – called for minimum wages of $25 per hour, said Frank Valdez, the strategic communications director for AFSCME Local 3299.
Throughout the rally, workers chanted phrases such as “We are UC!” and “25 right away!” as they marched in front of the building.
“Our workers are tired. … They’re tired of having two and three jobs when they work for one of the premier institutions in the country,” Valdez said. “They feel like $25 an hour is a reasonable wage to start at, and up till now the UC just chooses not to.” read more