More than 80,000 employees at University of California Health, a system of six academic health centers and four children’s hospital campuses, plan to strike Nov. 17-18.
The University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA Local 9119, which represents 21,000 healthcare, research and technical employees, is leading the two-day effort. Two other unions are joining as well: the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents more than 40,000 UC Health service and technician workers, and the California Nurses Association, which includes 25,000 UC Health nurses.
Among the striking employees are custodians, food service workers, patient care assistants, hospital technicians, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses and researchers.
In a Nov. 6 statement, AFSCME Local 3299 said inflation has outpaced employee wages, causing thousands of workers to leave their jobs.
In February, UPTE-CWA Local 9119 launched a strike, which included UC Health nurse case managers, pharmacists, mental health clinicians and clinical lab scientists. Union members cited unfair labor practices and inadequate staffing as reasons for the strike.
UC Health said the strike “is an attempt to pressure the university into accepting unreasonable wage and benefit demands that would put UC in a financially precarious position and jeopardize its mission of teaching, research and public service.”
“UC has been bargaining in good faith for 17 months with UPTE and 21 months with AFSCME and remains in active negotiations with CNA,” the system said in a Nov. 6 statement, adding that it has and will continue engaging in good faith bargaining.
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