UC nurses have a deal but not service workers

A planned labor strike by University of California nurses has been called off after the university system and the nurses union reached a tentative deal on pay and benefits, both groups announced.

- BY KEVIN RECTOR AND CLARA HARTER

UC NURSES canceled a planned strike after reaching a tentative contract deal.

(AL SEIB For The Times)

But a strike by 40,000 service and patient-care workers began as planned Monday, as the university system has yet to reach a deal with AFSCME 3299. That union represents custodians, food service workers, patient-care assistants and hospital technicians, security guards, secretaries and other workers at UC campuses and hospitals.

The four-year deal announced Sunday between UC and the California Nurses Assn. covers about 25,000 registered nurses working across 19 UC facilities. The two groups had been bargaining over a new contract since June.

The deal follows another one announced Nov. 8 between UC and the University Professional and Technical Employees union, which represents 21,000 healthcare, research and technical professionals across the UC system. Those groups had been negotiating a new contract for 17 months.