Dear UCSF Community,

We have received notice from the AFSCME union that both of their bargaining units will strike or participate in a sympathy strike across the University of California (UC) system, including UCSF, beginning Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 4:00 a.m. and ending Friday, October 26, 2018 at 3:59 a.m. UC anticipates that other unions with expired contracts also may join AFSCME in sympathy. You can find strike updates on UCSF.edu throughout the strike.

As we have stated in advance of previous strikes, we respect our employees’ rights to representation and freedom of speech. That said, striking is a serious matter, especially when it directly affects vital public services such as patient care.

Labor actions significantly impact patients and their families. During the strike in May, thousands of patient appointments were cancelled, delayed, or rescheduled. Some of our patients had to see other providers for their care. In addition, strikes create very real tensions among colleagues.

Once again, we expect disruptions to services across UCSF, particularly at UCSF Health and the UCSF Dental Center, as well as those performed by UCSF employees at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

As always, our top priorities are the safety and security of the entire UCSF community – faculty, staff, learners, patients, and visitors. To support our work and minimize the impact of the strike, we have refined contingency plans based on our recent experience.

The UC Office of the President is responsible for conducting negotiations with the unions on behalf of the UC system. We hope that UC and the unions are able to come to resolution for the other open contracts soon.

Whether you choose to come to work or participate on the picket lines during this labor action, we urge everyone to conduct themselves in accordance with our UCSF PRIDE Values.

Sincerely,