More than 1,200 UC Berkeley employees and other university employees across the UC system are scheduled to start striking June 4 if ongoing negotiations between the university and a local union do not yield improved wages for the workers.

While negotiations for higher wages and more benefits for patient-care technical workers and service workers at the university have been ongoing for several months, members of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 voted last week to strike, union officials announced on Friday.

"We take pride in being part of this world-renowned institution," said union President Lakesha Harrison. "But over the past few years, things have been really breaking down."

Harrison said she was unsure of the total ballots that were cast in the vote, but that of the thousands of workers who voted, 96.9 percent of patient-care workers and 97.5 percent of service workers voted in favor of the strike. The union represents a total of approximately 20,000 workers at the university's 10 campuses and five medical centers.

Contracts for AFSCME workers at the university expired in September, and the university and union have been negotiating for the past 10 months for patient-care workers and seven months for service workers, who include campus custodians at the residence halls and food service workers at the dining commons.

Union officials on Thursday rejected a proposal from the university to increase wages for patient-care technical workers by a total of about $18 million, and for service workers by a total of about $6 million, including an increase in minimum rates to $11.50 or $12 per hour.

Negotiators with the university also proposed transitioning to a step system that would provide bonuses to employees after every year, a feature that the union has been advocating.

"We believe that that's a very fair proposal," said UC spokesperson Nicole Savickas, adding that the union has refused to make counterproposals to the university's offers.

Yet union officials said they have not been satisfied with the results of the negotiations.

"The university has not proposed any offer that will meet our needs," Harrison said.

A study, published by the Center for Labor and

Community Research in January, shows that the university pays workers 25 to 30 percent less than comparable institutions do. Harrison said the wage discrepancy has led to problems with workers in their quality of work and retention at their respective institutions.

Some campus service workers represented by the union said they felt a strike is necessary to increase their wages.

"There's some days that I don't even have a penny in my pocket," said Maricruz Manzanarez, a senior custodian at Unit 2 for nine years. "We're tired of this treatment that we're receiving."

Savickas said that since funding for the wages of service workers comes from the state, it is difficult to determine the actual amount that can be allocated to wages until after the state budget is finalized.

To counter the strike, university officials said they are seeking a temporary restraining order against the union.

The university also filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union with the Public Employment Relations Board on May 21, citing that the union has refused to make counterproposals during negotiations.

Both university and union officials said they will continue to negotiate the contracts before the scheduled strike takes place.

"The university is open to continue to meet with the union," Savickas said. "All we can do is express our disappointment that the union felt it was necessary to strike."

Tags: AFSCME LOCAL 3299, STRIKE