🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈Chris 🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦

It’s so hard to write this again, but my mom has relapsed with small-cell lung cancer. After being no evidence of disease for many years, we recently found out she has a 2.9 cm mass with satellite nodules in her left upper lobe. We now know she has to start chemotherapy again, and the reality of that is hitting me hard. I’m scared—scared of what’s ahead, of how she’ll feel, of how this might unfold. But I’m also hopeful, because she’s such a fighter, and she’s proven her strength before. I feel like I’m living in every emotion at once: disbelief, fear, hope, love, and even a strange kind of numbness. This is my mom. She’s my everything, and watching her prepare to fight this all over again is heartbreaking and overwhelming, but I know I have to stay strong for her. To everyone who stood by us and supported us the first time, I’m so grateful and thankful to have you here to support and be behind us the second time. It means the world to me.

I work for the University of California. I'm educated. I have a job that matters. And yet, I’m forced to work a second full-time job just to survive in San Diego. This isn’t about overspending. I’m not living lavishly. I can barely afford the essentials—groceries, rent, hygiene. Some days, I just go without. I'm exhausted. It’s hard to even get out of bed knowing I’ve got to go from one job to another, just to stay afloat. And still, UC refuses to bargain with us in good faith. They claim budget shortfalls and hiring freezes—but here’s what they won’t tell you: UC’s investment portfolio is worth over $175 billion. In fiscal year 2023, UC generated $11.6 billion in profit from investments. They’ve invested over $6 billion in Blackstone, a real estate giant known for driving up rent and displacing working families across California. UC President Michael Drake earns over $890,000 a year, not counting his luxury residence, perks, and bonuses. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block makes over $648,000. The top 10 UC executives together make over $5 million a year. While they pour billions into Wall Street and reward the top, they’ve stripped us—front-line workers—of our bonuses, denied us raises, and left us to struggle in some of the most expensive cities in the country. So how can we even begin to talk about what’s “on the table” when we can’t even get to the table—because of their ongoing unfair labor practices? This isn’t just financial mismanagement. It’s a moral failure. And we are the ones paying the price. > “I know that when the ocean rises, all boats are supposed to rise with it—but how can front-line workers like myself's boat rise when the UC is continuously drilling holes in it?”

Eric Ivan Rowland brutally beat a defenseless dog — and it’s one of the most vile, heartless acts of cruelty we’ve seen. This isn’t just animal abuse. It’s a complete lack of humanity. We need stronger laws. We need real accountability. And we need to protect the voiceless. This is disgusting. No excuses. No justification. No mercy. #offwithhishead

🔥 UC SAYS THEY’RE BROKE—BUT HERE’S WHERE THE MONEY REALLY IS 🔥 As a frontline worker at the University of California, I’m DONE being gaslit. UC tells us they “can’t afford” to give us raises, but they have BILLIONS in investments, spend HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS on hospital acquisitions, and give CHANCELLORS six-figure raises. Meanwhile, we—the people who actually keep this system running—are living in debt, burnout, and fear. UC IS A TAXPAYER-FUNDED INSTITUTION. That means YOU pay for it. I pay for it. And we have a RIGHT to demand answers. 💰 MONEY IN THE BANK UC’s investment portfolio is now worth $180 BILLION, with a $16 billion gain just in the last year. Source: universityofcalifornia.edu/p… 🏥 MONEY TO BURN ON HOSPITALS While they cry “budget cuts,” here’s what they’re really doing: UCI Health bought 4 hospitals for $975 MILLION: ocbj.com/healthcare/uci-heal… UCSF Health spent $100 MILLION on 2 hospitals: beckershospitalreview.com/ho… UCSD Health bought Alvarado Hospital for $200 MILLION: health.ucsd.edu/news/press-r… Meanwhile, we’re told there’s “no money” for wage increases? 💸 EXECUTIVES GETTING RICH Chancellors received up to 30% raises in 2024: latimes.com/california/story… UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang got a $240,000 raise, now making $820,000/year: independent.com/2024/09/27/u… I’m not living paycheck to paycheck—I’m behind one. I’m working full time and still falling deeper in debt. ⚠️ UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH UC REFUSES to negotiate in good faith: edhat.com/news/one-day-strik… They RAISED our health care premiums mid-negotiation: kpbs.org/news/education/2025… They ISOLATE new union members to weaken us: noozhawk.com/ucsb-workers-jo… They’ve USED a “hiring freeze” excuse since the pandemic to avoid staffing properly and overload us. This is exploitation—plain and simple. 📢 WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW 1. DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: This is a public institution—WE have the right to see where OUR money goes. 2. CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS: Call or write and demand an audit, transparency, and support for frontline workers. Find your representatives: nass.org/Can-I-Vote 3. STAND WITH UC WORKERS: Share this post. Join the action. Make it LOUD. We are tired. We are underpaid. We are done being silent. If UC can spend billions on hospitals and chancellor salaries, it can damn well pay its frontline workers. Solidarity with ALL UC unions: #AFSCME3299 #UPTE #UAW4811 #CWAUC #Teamsters2010 #UCWUC #UCAFT #SEIUUHW #FairUCNow #UCStrike #UCInvestInUs #EndUCExploitation #TaxpayerAccountability #StandWithUCWorkers #UnfairLaborPractices #JusticeForUCWorkers #RespectFrontlineWorkers #WeKeepUCRunning #StrikeReady #UnionStrong #SolidarityForever @pattymaysent @UCPrezDrake @UofCalifornia @UCBerkeley @ucdavis @UCIrvine @UCLA @ucmerced @UCRiverside @UCSanDiego @UCSF @ucsantabarbara @ucsc @UofCAHealth @UCLAHealth @UCSFHealth @UCDavisHealth @UCIrvineHealth @UCSDHealth @AFSCME3299 @UAW4811 @uptecwa @CWAunion @Teamsters2010 @UCWCalifornia @UCAFT @SEIU_UHW @SEIU1021 @CalLaborFed @CalNurses @NationalNurses

I’m Striking in Solidarity—Here’s Why This isn’t just about a contract. This is about basic dignity. The University of California has been treating its workers—my coworkers, my comrades—like we’re disposable. They’ve jacked up our healthcare costs without bargaining. They’ve created new non-union job titles to erase our protections. They show up to negotiations with no power to make decisions. It’s all smoke and mirrors, and we’re supposed to just take it? Hell no. That’s why we strike. That’s why I stand in solidarity with UPTE and AFSCME 3299. Because this fight isn’t just theirs—it’s ours. If they can do it to one of us, they’ll do it to all of us. This is about power. About reminding the University that we are the ones who keep this institution running. The research. The patient care. The food service. The maintenance. The heart and soul of this system? Us. And when you come for one of us, you get all of us. So if you see me on the picket line, know this: I’m not just fighting for fair wages. I’m fighting for respect, for justice, and for a future where workers can stand tall and say, we will not be silent, and we will not be broken. You want to know what solidarity looks like? This. Right here. #SolidarityStrike #UPTE9119 #AFSCME3299 #FairUCNow #UnionStrong #WeKeepUCRunning

UC’s Wage Proposal is a Pay Cut in Disguise: How the University Shortchanges Workers While Executives Cash In (The opinions expressed in this article are solely my own as a member of AFSCME 3299 and do not reflect the official position of the union.) The University of California (UC) is pushing a wage proposal that doesn’t keep up with inflation while giving massive raises to its top executives. UC expects workers to struggle to survive while administrators get richer. If workers accept this contract, they will earn less in real wages over five years while executives pocket raises larger than most full-time workers’ annual salaries. Breaking Down UC’s Wage Proposal: A Losing Deal for Workers UC’s proposal offers: 2025: 5% increase 2026: 4% increase 2027-2029: 3% annual increases This totals 18% over five years, but when inflation is factored in, the real wage increase is only about 5.5%—or just $1.35 more per hour in today’s dollars. Inflation and the Cost of Living: Why This Proposal is a Pay Cut Rent: Allowed to rise 8.6% per year, meaning rents could be 40% higher by 2029. Housing: Median price is $937,000, expected to increase 3–5% annually. Food, Utilities, Gas: Up over 20% in recent years, outpacing UC’s wage offer. UC knows this deal won’t keep up, but they’re hoping workers won’t do the math. Meanwhile, UC Executives Get Massive Raises Chancellor Pradeep Khosla (UC San Diego): $500,000 raise (new salary: $1,141,324). Chancellor Sam Hawgood (UC San Francisco): 16.6% raise (now at $1,189,260). UC President Michael V. Drake: 4.2% raise (new salary: $1,044,132). Khosla’s one-time raise is twice the annual salary of a full-time AFSCME worker. Hawgood’s 16.6% raise is almost equal to the total 18% UC is offering AFSCME members over five years. UC has billions in revenue yet refuses to fairly compensate the workers keeping it running. AFSCME 3299 Members Must Reject This Proposal Again, this is my personal opinion as an AFSCME 3299 member. This contract does not match the rising cost of living. Workers will be earning less in real wages by 2029. UC executives will keep giving themselves raises while claiming there’s no money. UC can afford to pay its workers fairly—it chooses not to. The only answer is NO. AFSCME 3299 members deserve a contract that reflects the cost of living and the value of their work. It’s time to demand better.

Why Are Republicans So Obsessed with Trans People? Seriously, what is it? Why are Republicans so terrified of trans people? Is it because trans people actually live in their truth instead of clinging to the edited, censored, and rewritten fiction that they were spoon-fed from a book missing half its chapters? Is it because trans people challenge their fragile sense of identity, while they sit there, blindly obeying whatever version of "truth" their pastor regurgitates this week? Because let’s be real—if your "faith" crumbles the second someone exists outside your worldview, that’s not faith, that’s insecurity. Maybe they’re just jealous—jealous that trans people have the courage to be who they are, while they’re stuck in a cycle of fear-based obedience, desperately pretending that their political grift is some divine mission. Or maybe—just maybe—they’re projecting. Because if there’s one thing Republicans do best, it’s loudly condemning the very things they seem way too invested in. So what are they really afraid of? Trans people? Or the fact that they’ll never have the same kind of authenticity? #translivesmatter #Insecure #Republicans #supporttrans

Opinion: UC’s Hospital Empire Grows While Its Workers Struggle By Chris Kiser The @UofCalifornia (UC) system claims it doesn’t have the money to meet the needs of its workers, yet time and again, it finds millions—sometimes billions—to expand its healthcare empire. The latest example? Just this week, UC handed $20 million to Palomar Health, a struggling hospital, in what is clearly an attempt to position itself for yet another acquisition. This move follows UC’s failed merger with Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside and its $975 million purchase of four hospitals from Tenet Healthcare just last year. The pattern is clear: UC is positioning itself as a monopoly in California’s healthcare industry, all while blocking fair bargaining, refusing to pay workers what they deserve, and continuously violating labor laws with unfair labor practices. UC’s Double Standard on Money Every time @afscme3299, @UPTECWA, or any of the other unions across the UC system demand fair contracts, fair wages, and safe staffing levels, UC leadership cries broke. They say they simply cannot afford to meet the demands of their employees—the same employees who make these hospitals and campuses run. Yet somehow, UC always finds the money to buy up hospitals, invest in expensive expansions, and funnel millions into deals that benefit administration and executives rather than workers and patients. If UC was truly struggling financially, would it be loaning $20 million to an outside hospital? Would it be continuing its buyout spree, absorbing more and more medical centers under its control? The answer is obvious: UC has the money—it just chooses not to spend it on the people who keep its hospitals running. Workers Left Behind While UC executives cut multimillion-dollar deals, its employees are left to strike, protest, and fight for fair wages. Just last month, nearly 60,000 UC healthcare and service workers walked out in a massive strike over unfair labor practices, staff shortages, and UC’s refusal to bargain in good faith. UC repeatedly breaks the law, refusing to provide necessary financial transparency during negotiations and undermining the rights of its workers. If UC truly valued its employees, these strikes wouldn’t be happening. But instead of investing in better pay, safe staffing levels, and fair contracts, UC chooses to expand its empire while exploiting the very people who make their hospitals and campuses function. The Bottom Line: UC Doesn’t Care About Its Workers It’s time to stop pretending UC is strapped for cash. They have the money—they just don’t want to spend it on their workers. The $20 million to Palomar Health isn’t just a loan—it’s a down payment on yet another hospital takeover. The same way UC tried (and failed) with Tri-City Medical Center, the same way they’re quietly swallowing up hospitals across the state. UC is not a struggling public institution—it’s a growing healthcare monopoly that refuses to respect or fairly compensate its workforce. The question now is: How much longer will UC workers allow this exploitation to continue? It’s time to hold UC accountable. It’s time to demand real change.

Do you remember when you joined X? I do! #MyXAnniversary

Hey @GavinNewsom, why are you forcing gov workers back to the office when studies show WFH boosts productivity & well-being? Remote workers = 13% more productive (Stanford) 77% of workers say WFH improves work-life balance (Forbes) Less stress, fewer sick days, & better retention (BLS) I thought you were a science guy? Now you’re pushing anti-data policies like a MAGA Republican. What happened to following the facts? #RemoteWork #FollowTheScience

Hear ye, hear ye! This Lent, instead of giving up chocolate, beer, or potato chips—because let’s be real, you’ll just double down on them after Easter—how about giving up racism? Misogyny? Homophobia? Bigotry of all kinds? For 40 days, try actually practicing the love and compassion you like to preach. Who knows? You might even want to keep it up afterward. Signed, Someone Who’s Over the Hypocrisy and Selective Morality.

Wait there's more @lenoxhill

His name is Yiannis Kefaias

Anybody know this physician assistant Who's online mocking people in regards to their pain and just missing it. Basically making fun of people who present to the ER saying they have a 10 out of 10 pain knowing that pain is a subjective finding when assessing a patient.

So i got this today at work.