Tens of thousands of workers at the University of California system — including custodians, food-service staff and patient-care technicians represented by AFSCME Local 3299 — began a two-day strike on Nov 17. The union says offered wage increases (5% in 2025, then 4% and 3% in subsequent years) fall far short of the 8.5% now demanded, especially given surging healthcare and housing costs.
See "UC Service Workers Strike, Saying Wages Aren’t Enough to Afford Cost of Living", Katie DeBenedetti, KQED, November 17, 2025