Students, workers and other community members gathered on Sproul Plaza on Wednesday at noon for a rally calling for workers’ and immigrants’ rights. Cities across the Bay Area had similar International Workers’ Day activities.

Read more here.

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Javier Panzar/Senior Staff

Registered nurses picketed outside Alta Bates Summit Medical Center on Telegraph Avenue Tuesday morning to strike against the proposed cutbacks from Sutter Health Corporation.

The nurses gathered starting at 7 a.m. for the third one-day strike held since the conflict with the corporation began, according to Eric Cook, a nurse at the center. The nurses’ strike is one of several strikes taking place Tuesday at different  facilities owned by the corporation across the Bay Area.

The protests are also being held in connection with the International May 1 Day of Action and General Strike in which union workers and occupy protesters are participating.

The mood at the nurses’ strike was almost festive with heartfelt chants, pizza, blaring music and cheers as passing cars honked in solidarity. Yet what appeared to be a friendly gathering on the surface was underlined by a shared sense of urgency.

“I am so grateful for each and every one of you for being here and wearing red,” said  Ann Gabler, a bargaining team representative and nurse at the center. “I guarantee you that I am not going to let Sutter Health Corporation take a magic marker to our contract and line out the parts that they don’t like.”

According to the strikers, the proposed cutbacks include $18 salary cuts for new graduate nurses, cutting sick leave for nurses, forcing nurses to work in hospital areas in which they do not have expertise and health coverage cuts for nurses, among others. Nurses at the strike said these cutbacks will hurt not only nurses but patients.

“We’re fighting for the fact that our hospital has over $4 billion in profits in the past four years, yet they want to cut our wages and benefits by 30 percent,” Cook said. “They’re also cutting services to the community. No more bone marrow transplants, no more free breast screenings for people with disabilities … cutting mental health services.”

This sense of unfairness was a common theme in the rally Tuesday as nurses chanted, “WTF Sutter — Where’s the fairness?”

Many people, like California Nurses Association Director of Public Policy Michael Lighty, were angered by what they feel is the corporation’s priorities being placed on profits over patients.

“This corporation is designed for one thing and that is to make money and you nurses are the force that can change this corporation and make it serve the community and its patients,” Lighty said. “And if you don’t stand up, there’s nothing between the patients and Sutter’s business model.”

According to the nurses, while the corporation proposes cutbacks on its nurses’ salaries, there are other parts of the organization still profiting.

President and Chief Executive of Sutter Health Patrick Fry and other company executives have received salary hikes, nurses said.

The conflict with the corporation has stretched over 43 contract negotiation sessions adding up to a total of 500 hours over the last year, Gabler said. Still, the nurses at the center feel the corporation has been unresponsive to the needs and demands from the nurses.

“Alta Bates has been a powerhouse of union activity and that’s what (Sutter) wants to do here,” said nurse John Maynes. “They want to try to break the union here at one of its most powerful places.”

Jaehak Yu covers city government.

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Jan Flatley-Feldman/Staff

Around 50 people marched to the Tang Center at noon Tuesday and later headed to the UC Office of the President in Oakland to demand better labor contracts for UC employees.

The march was part of numerous strikes and protests taking place across the Bay Area as part of the International May 1 Day of Action. During the march, speakers demanded a one-year contract to negotiate wage and retirement benefits with the university instead of a UC-proposed two-tier pension plan under a new five-year contract.

In 2007, about 2,200 members of the University Professional and Technical Employees — a union that represents university pharmacists, social workers, clinical laboratory specialists, dietitians and speech therapists  — entered into a five-year contract with the university that expired on June 30, 2011. Most of the other union contracts for service workers, technical employees, nurses and graduate student instructors are set to expire in 2013, according to the current contract’s language.

“The university is trying to force the two-tier pension plan down the throats of our workers,” said Tanya Smith, an editor at the UC Berkeley Archaeological Research Facility and president of the union’s local office, which covers the campus and the UC Office of the President. “We’re not going to take it.”

According to the union’s website, the two-tier pension plan asks UC employees hired on or after July 1, 2013, to pay more to the UC Retirement Plan and pushes retirement age from 50 years to 55 years.

In order to achieve its goal of a one-year contract, workers and union representatives who were gathered at Tuesday’s protests expressed interest in bargaining collectively with the university in 2013.

“We’re in the profession of caring for others — now we’re trying to care for ourselves,” said Maureen Kelly, a counselor for CARE Services at the Tang Center.

Members from the Occupy Cal movement also participated in the march to the Tang Center.

The protesters plan to gather in front of the UC Office of the President in Oakland at 4 p.m. to voice their demands and deliver petitions from union workers.

A mix of students and service workers later began a second rally in front of UCOP at 4 p.m.

The group of around 25 protesters — mostly composed of union workers and Occupy Cal members present at the noon Tang Center rally — were then met by approximately 20 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a union that represents maintenance and custodial workers of the university.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUJ6EOGATFg&w=560&h=308.8]

“Today the (union), which represents 17,000 workers across all UC campuses, are formally opening their contract for bargaining,” said Sarah Leadem, a UC Berkeley senior. “We are unifying with other workers throughout the UCs and California to … support workers and their struggle for better contracts.”

Those gathered also discussed an open letter authored by students, faculty and union representatives to Gov. Jerry Brown and the UC Board of Regents calling for a “transparent process” to fund higher education and rollback tuition increases.

The group then marched to the Wells Fargo branch on Broadway Avenue, where UC Regent Russell Gould was a former executive. Marchers chanted slogans and picketed around the building before dispersing at around 5 p.m.

“Our goal today was to send a clear message to the UC Regents that they need to support fair contracts for the service workers, who are the lowest-paid workers on campus,” said Charlie Eaton, a UC Berkeley graduate student and financial secretary for the United Auto Workers Local 2865. “We’re in this fight together.”

Afsana Afzal covers academics and adminstration.

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Gracie Malley/Staff

Groups from around the Bay Area and nationwide have planned demonstrations, rallies and strikes to coincide with Tuesday’s international May Day of Action and general strike.

May 1 is International Workers’ Day, an official holiday in many countries around the world and a day to recognize the international labor movement. In the Bay Area, marches throughout the day have been organized by labor unions and occupy protesters in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and elsewhere.

Staff writer Afsana Afzal reporting from the field. 

5:30 p.m. 

The group of protesters demonstrating outside UCOP has dwindled as some head to Fruitvale for a protest for immigrant rights, although some police officers remain outside the office.

5:00 p.m. 

Protesters have gathered outside a downtown Oakland Wells Fargo.  UC Regent Russell Gould was a former executive at Wachovia, which merged with Wells Fargo in 2008.

4:50 p.m.

The March 1 General Strike protesters are marching from outside the UC Office of the President to Wells Fargo.

4:00 p.m.

About 25 people are currently gathered outside of the University Office of the President chanting for workers rights.

Read our update on the march by union workers and Occupy Cal protesters to the Tang Center that took place earlier today.

2:10 p.m. 

San Francisco Chronicle reporter Demian Bulwa recently tweeted that Oakland Police Department spokesperson Johanna Watson confirmed that tear gas was used earlier on demonstrators in Oakland who were allegedly surrounding officers.

PIO Watson confirms tear gas was used on #oo “to gain the attention of the crowd” that surrounded officers “which was effective”

— Demian Bulwa (@demianbulwa) May 1, 2012

1:30 p.m.

As of 1:00 p.m., protesters and union workers had dispersed from outside the Tang Center. They plan to march to UCOP in downtown Oakland at 4 p.m.

12:33 p.m. 

Reports via Twitter are saying that protesters and police are facing off at 14th Street and Broadway in downtown Oakland. BART just tweeted that the Frank Ogawa Plaza entrance/exit at 14th Street end of 12th Street is closed due to police activity for a protest.

Ogawa Plaza entrance/exit at 14th St end of 12th St. closed due to police activity for a protest. Other exits open at 12th St.

— SFBART (@SFBART) May 1, 2012

12:25 p.m.

Protesters are standing in front of the Tang Center along Bancroft Way chanting and holding signs in support of UPTE workers.

12:00 p.m.

At UC Berkeley, protesters and union organizers are holding a rally at noon at the intersection of Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft Way to kick off AFSCME-3299 contract negotiations, after which they will march to the Tang Center to support healthcare professionals who are negotiating new contracts through UPTE-CWA 9119.

At 4 p.m. demonstrators will march to the UC Office of the President at 1111 Franklin St. in downtown Oakland for a rally and picket organized by SEIU 1021 and AFSCME-3299.

11:00 a.m.

Nurses striking at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley held a rally to protest ongoing cuts to patient services by Sutter Health.

Follow us on twitter at @dailycal.

Adelyn Baxter is the news editor.

The post May 1 Day of Action Live Blog appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Javier Panzar/Senior Staff

A report that the University of California Office of the President sent a message to students, faculty and staff from all 10 university campuses providing advice for avoiding Tuesday’s May 1 Day of Action protests has been reported as false from UCOP.

The Day of Action, largely organized through members of the Occupy movement and workers’ unions, calls for a general strike from all economic activity in protest of budget cuts, underemployment and unfair wages.

According to a report by The Nation, a message titled “Avoid all protests” warned of transportation and business disruptions as well as possible scuffles with police.

The report stated the message was sent via Connexxus, the UC website that arranges travel accommodations for faculty, students, staff and hosted guests.

But Associate Vice President of Communications for UCOP Lynn Tierney said the office never sent such a message.

Tierney said the message actually originated from iJet, a company that provides corporations and organizations with risk management service and response solutions. iJet sent an email to all of its clients warning that demonstrations planned in cities across the country Tuesday could create travel problems.

“Someone took this message and said that it was directly from President Yudof about Oakland,” she said. “It’s a misrepresentation.”

As part of the international Day of Action, nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in South Berkeley held a rally at 11 a.m. At UC Berkeley, Students for a Democratic University teamed with several other campus organizations to hold a noon rally at Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft Way, followed by a march to the Tang Center and then to the UCOP office in Oakland at 4 p.m.

Christopher Yee is an assistant news editor.

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