CNA members to go on sympathy strike Nov. 17 and Nov. 18 in solidarity with striking UPTE-CWA, AFSCME 3299 members 

University of California (UC) registered nurses will walk the picket lines Monday, Nov. 17 and Tuesday, Nov. 18 in a sympathy strike with members of AFSCME 3299 and UPTE-CWA, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). CNA represents more than 25,000 RNs across 19 facilities operated by the University of California.

“Union registered nurses who work at the University of California system stand united against any attempts by our employer to cut corners and deprive our coworkers of fair contracts,” said Maureen Dugan, RN at UCSF Parnassus and member of CNA’s Board of Directors. “UPTE and AFSCME members are an integral part of making the UC a world-class institution for education, research, and health care. The UC Regents’ continued failure to treat these employees with respect and fairness represents a shameful race to the bottom for the UC and a betrayal of the patients, students, and the public who deserve world-class support.”

Members of AFSCME 3299 and UPTE-CWA are highlighting a retention crisis within their ranks that makes it challenging for UC medical centers to run effectively. Sixty percent of UPTE-represented employees have worked at UC for less than five years, including in key roles like nurse case managers, research associates, and mental health clinicians. More than one-third of AFSCME-represented UC workers, equivalent to 13,000 workers, have left their positions as patient transporters, radiology technicians, mental health workers, and clinical care partners–among other essential roles–in the past three years.

On Sept. 16, CNA announced–with AFSCME 3299, UPTE-CWA, and other labor unions who represent workers at UC campuses, medical centers, institutes, centers, and research laboratories–its lawsuit to stop the Trump administration’s coercive attempts to remake the UC system in alignment with the president’s ideology. The lawsuit represents a historic coalition of national and California labor unions, who charge that the U.S. federal government is violating the First Amendment by illegally coercing the UC to engage in speech and behavior that it would not otherwise engage in. Plaintiffs requested a preliminary injunction and a hearing with a U.S. federal judge has been scheduled in San Francisco for Nov. 6.

Dugan, RN continued, “At a time when the Trump administration is attacking and threatening California, including our public health system, workers must stand united to keep the UC system reflective of the values of our state and the public we serve.”

Nurses are gravely concerned about any agreement that would lead to forced cooperation with immigration enforcement, which could include giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to UC hospitals; ending gender-affirming care for minors; ignoring the effects of systemic racism on a person's health; and banning of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in hiring.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.