Strike planned Wednesday at UCSB as part of larger demonstration

ISLA VISTA, Calif. - Thousands of UC workers are planning to go on strike Wednesday, including at UC Santa Barbara.

The strike was called by AFSCME Local 3299, which represents more than 24,000 employees at the 10 UC campuses. The union called the strike after it says the UC system tried to expand outsourcing.

The union claims that the UC system is using low wage contractors to fill service and patient care jobs, but not disclosing that information. Union officials say this could eliminate middle class jobs, lower wages, and put thousands of workers at risk of losing their jobs.

Picketing is planned at campuses across the state.

At UCSB, workers plan to picket from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Storke Tower. A rally is planned for noon.

A UC spokesperson spoke to The Mercury News earlier this month and defended the UC system, saying union leaders were making unreasonable wage demands and "have refused to hold a vote on any one of UC's many fair proposals."