TA ratified by 98% nearly 12k votes!

Seventeen months of bargaining. Years of organizing. One goal: reset UC's priorities to better serve all Californians. By 98%, UPTE members have officially ratified our next contract. Our ratification vote means our new contract terms are effective immediately, with the following timelines:

  • The UPTE Floating Holiday will be available within 120 days of ratification: we are waiting for UC’s confirmation on how soon it will be available for use.

  • Combined Pregnancy & Childcaring Leave: we are awaiting UC’s response confirming that those who are already on Pregnancy Disability Leave can remain on leave by combining this with the new provisions

  • Lump sums for those who were eligible for a January 2025 step but were at the top of their scale will be paid within 120 days

  • LBNL is processing the October 2025 raises. Salary ranges will be moved by 7%, which means that everyone who is currently within their title’s salary range will receive the full 7% increase. In future years, salary ranges will also be moved by the full amount of our raise.

  • The following will be processed within 120 days, retroactive to the first full pay period following ratification (November 23rd for bi-weekly pay, December 1 for monthly pay)

Learn more

Ratification voting was held from Thursday, November 13, through Thursday, November 20. You can find a summary of our tentative agreement, as well as the full language, at upte.org/summary.

Raises and Compensation • 2025: 8% or more: January 2025 minimum 2% step* + (5% Across the Board (ATB) or $25 minimum whichever is more**) + Title-Specific Equities for all titles of at least 1% retroactive to ratification, to be paid within 120 days of ratification
• 2026: 7% (January minimum 2% Step* + July 5% ATB raise)
• 2027: 6% (January minimum 2% Step* + July 4% ATB raise)
• 2028: 6% (January minimum 2% Step* + July 4% ATB raise)

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: 7%-7%-6%-6% ATBs in October 2025–26–27–28 and no merit matrix!
• Annual Steps for UCLA Health: Elimination of any experience-based steps

*2% Pensionable Lump Sums for those at the top step! January 2025 lump sums to follow ratification.
**Retro for step and first raise was paid in the first full pay period of November 2025!
Healthcare • Subsidies keeping most 2026 Blue & Gold and some 2026 Kaiser rates the same as 2024, with no Blue & Gold or Kaiser employee rates seeing more than a $64 increase!
• Annual caps on premium increases in 2027 & 2028
• Review Blue & Gold and Kaiser 2026 rates here
Work-Life Balance • An additional floating holiday
• Full holiday pay for exempt employees working 8+ hour shifts
• Up to 12 months unpaid parental leave for birth parents
• Pre-approved window of up to 10 consecutive days after denied vacation requests
• 30-day minimum notice for changes in remote/hybrid schedules
• No reduction in vacation/PTO accruals for employees who joined UPTE before Nov 2025
• Cesar Chavez retained as a floating holiday (HX)
• Transition to Vacation/Sick (from PTO/ESL) for UCLA Health
• 8 hours of Sick Leave for Per Diem employees
Career Progression • Significant improvements to Reclassification Process
• 90-day response timeline for UC
• Clear criteria required for reclass review
• Department reclassification committee to define clearer progression criteria
• Appeals panel made up of compensation staff outside the worker’s department
• Binding enforcement of the process
• Right to use Education/Professional Development Hours on days off; restrictions on remote education removed
Job Security, Layoffs, Seniority • Guaranteed “Alternatives to Layoffs” process before layoffs, including right to open positions
• Preferential Rehire rights at all campuses
• Extended Preferential Rehire and Recall Rights to 3 years in HX
Union Rights • Increase Unit Representatives to at least 1 per 100 workers; additional release hours
• 30-minute Orientation for all titles joining UPTE