Over the last nine years, the UC executives' real wages have increased by 50%, whereas most AFSCME workers’ real wages have only increased by 7%, and frontline medical staff at UC-owned medical centers have even seen their real wages decrease by 6%. Moreover, the UC is currently trying to take away the $10 cap on AFSCME workers’ healthcare increase. If the UC is successful in this, they will be free to charge workers an outrageous amount for health insurance coverage, something that most AFSCME workers will not be able to afford for themselves and their families.

The UC has also been denying AFSCME workers housing assistance and low-interest housing loans, all while granting $530 million worth of low-interest loans to UC executives and faculty. This coincides with the UCs trying to raise the cost of parking for AFSCME workers by 10% annually, despite the majority of staff commuting by car to work everyday. Price increases like this would only increase economic stress on families who are already struggling with housing, healthcare coverage, and low wages. Finally, the UCs have purposely refused to hire enough hospital staff in their medical centers. California law mandates a 1:5 RN-to-patient ratio in medical centers across the state, yet in UC medical centers that ratio is closer to 1:8. This both puts incredible stress on hospital staff, and endangers the health and lives of students and campus staff who rely on these medical centers.

The UC has doubled its revenues over the last decade, and has no problem spending lavishly on higher-ups, like medical center CEOs, regents, and tenured faculty. However, when it comes to the janitors, dining hall staff, and front-line workers at UC medical centers, who work every day to keep this university functioning, the UC refuses to even pay them a living wage, let alone help with housing and healthcare.

It is time for students to show support to the workers who keep our campus clean, who provide us with warm food everyday, and who care for our overall health and well-being. By signing this pledge, you commit to honoring the picket line once the strike begins. This means you commit not to enter any of the dining halls, as well as on-campus eateries, such as Golden Bear Cafe and Brown’s.

Moreover, by signing this letter, you will automatically send an email to Robert Reich which calls on him, as this year's commencement speaker, to honor AFSCME3299's and refuse to speak until the UC meets these demands.