Thousands of health care workers employed by the University of California have begun a two-day strike at UC medical centers and student health centers across the state.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 3299, a union representing more than 12,500 UC patient care employees, began to strike Tuesday morning amid ongoing contract negotiations with the university that began in June 2012. University Professional and Technical Employees 9119, a union representing technical workers, is also striking in solidarity with AFSCME 3299.
Workers have expressed discontent with understaffing, the use of private contractors whom they say are inadequate and proposals by the university to reform pension benefits.
“I’m tired of being told by my manager, ‘Do the best you can, prioritize, triage,’” said Judy McKeever, a registered respiratory care practitioner at UCSF Medical Center. “Our patients deserve better. Our patients deserve to get all their therapies. They deserve to be seen by us as frequently as they should be.”
On Tuesday at noon, about 300 workers were striking outside UCSF Medical Center. However, strikers had organized shifts, and according to John Salsbury, a spokesperson for AFSCME, hundreds more workers were expected to picket outside the medical center between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Earlier that morning, members of AFSCME and UPTE also held a demonstration outside UC Berkeley’s Tang Center. About 50 people attended to support the 30 patient care workers who work at Tang.
The University of California, however, opposed the strike, saying it will be costly and could negatively impact patient health. In a press conference Monday, John Stobo, the UC system’s senior vice president for health sciences and services, said that the strike will cost about $20 million and result in the cancellation of several medical procedures.
Although a Sacramento Superior Court judge issued an injunction Monday prohibiting some workers from striking, it only applied to about 450 workers who have critical responsibilities, according to UC spokesperson Dianne Klein.
“We believe it’s completely inappropriate to put patients in the middle of a labor dispute and jeopardize essential services to them as a negotiating tactic,” said Dwaine Duckett, vice president for systemwide human resources at UC Office of the President. “Leaders of both unions claim their chief concern is patient care, but it’s very simple: If they strike, services to patients suffer.”
Andrea Guzman is a news editor.Contact her at [email protected] and on Twitter @guzmanandrea5.