We honor and respect AFSCME’s right to engage in the lawful protest of employment conditions and believe the spirit of the activation of its members is not mutually exclusive from the values UC holds dear. We have been in productive bargaining sessions with AFSCME since January, offering historic wage increases to their members as part of our overall commitment to recognize their contributions to the UC system. We are also happy that we reached our first tentative agreement yesterday during our sixteenth bargaining session this year. We empathize with the challenges our AFSCME-represented employees face, especially California's increasing cost of living. Our goal is to acknowledge their growing contributions, appreciate their commitment, and offer a financial package that helps alleviate some of their financial strains. We look forward to continuing those exchanges of proposals and discussions.