Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers began an open-ended strike June 18 at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (Calif.) and its satellite clinics.
Nine things to know:
1. The strike involves 1,300 NUHW-represented workers at the hospital, including the vast majority of caregivers who are not registered nurses, according to a union news release shared with Becker’s. Members of the California Nurses Association at the hospital, and operating engineers represented by IUOE, Local 39, are also holding sympathy strikes beginning June 18.
2. NUHW members approved the strike in a bid to halt the University of California’s planned integration of the hospital with San Francisco-based UCSF Health, according to the union.
3. Union members contend the plan would cancel their union contracts, force workers into UC unions and reduce their take-home pay by about $10,000 annually on average, primarily due to higher health and retirement benefit costs. They also argue the move would leave patients with fewer caregivers.
4. “We’re determined to stop UCSF from canceling our contracts, because it would make it harder for us to provide for our families and advocate for the East Bay kids we serve,” Marques Williams, a pharmacy tech at the hospital, said in the NUHW release. “UCSF has never prioritized keeping care in Oakland, and we’ll lose more services and workers, if we don’t stop the university from busting our union and taking money out of our pockets.”
5. Children’s Hospital Oakland first affiliated with UCSF in 2014, and the integration plan was announced in January 2025. It calls for the transition of Oakland staff to University of California employment, effective in early July.
6. UCSF Health leaders say the change will allow employees to participate in UC benefit plans and access broader resources available to UCSF Health employees. The health system also said the integration will support a $1.6 billion investment to modernize the Oakland campus, which includes a new hospital building expected to open in 2031.
7. “As part of this integration, employees at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland are
transitioning to UC employment and joining the same public-sector unions that represent
their colleagues across the Bay and thousands of public employees across California,” UCSF Health said in a statement shared with Becker’s. “This transition supports long-term growth, aligns our teams under a single system, and strengthens our ability to serve children and families with high-quality, coordinated care.”
8. UCSF Health’s statement added that affected employees are being “mapped to a position in the appropriate unit at UCSF,” and some take-home pay may change “because today, many employees pay nothing toward their health insurance or retirement. Under UC employment, they will contribute — just as their colleagues across the UCSF system do — and in exchange, they will gain access to a far more valuable pension and comprehensive, long-term benefits.”
9. During the strike, UCSF Health said young patients will still have access to important critical care services, including the emergency department and operating rooms. However, the strike “will create disruptions for some of our patients and their families who have care needs that can be rescheduled or converted to telehealth appointments,” the health system said.
