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University of California care workers begin three-day strike

CARE technical workers walked out at the University of California (UC) today in the first of three days of strike action over the outsourcing of jobs and poor terms and conditions.

Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3299 voted overwhelmingly in favour of the strike earlier this month, with the university failing to listen to concerns.

According to AFSCME, 15,000 UC patient care technical workers are affected as the university has been taking “directly employed jobs” from service and patient care workers and outsourcing them to independent contractors who lower wages.

Union spokesman John de los Angeles warned that black women workers are hit disproportionately, adding that while this is happening “executive pay skyrockets at a pace that has never happened before.” 

“Over the past year of negotiations, the university has consistently skirted the top concern of striking workers—the increased outsourcing of UC jobs to private contracting companies that hire outside workers to perform the same tasks for lower wages, little to no benefits, and a higher risk of labour abuse,” the union said in a statement.

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