University of California healthcare workers go on statewide strike

Two unions are striking statewide across University of California campuses this week. The strike is set to kickoff Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. at the University of California, San Francisco. 

Four-thousand healthcare, research and technical workers with the University Professional And Technical Employees union at UCSF are asking for a new contract. Workers say the university needs to address "systemwide staff shortages" left emergency rooms crowded and resulted in longer wait times for patients. 

"Right now, patients are waiting in hallways because the University of California refuses to be transparent about the staffing crisis they have orchestrated. When patient demand goes up, hospitals need more staff. The UC system may not care to prioritize patient care, but our members do and are willing to hold UC accountable," said Dan Russell, UPTE president.

Workers with University of California Employees, Local 3299 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME 3299) plan to march alongside UPTE members. AFSCME 3299 represents over 35,000 employees across California. 

"UC’s illegal conduct—from showing up to negotiations without any authority to forge compromises to announcing that it will bypass bargaining altogether to impose higher healthcare costs on workers – has left workers who take care of students and patients every day with no choice but to go on strike." - AFSCME 3299

The strike is expected to last two days. UCSF isn't the only Bay Area medical facility impacted by the strike. UC Berkeley, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital at Mission Bay and UCSF Parnassus Heights will also see rallies, according to AFSCME 3299. 

The University of California issued a statement when the strikes were announced:

"We fundamentally disagree with AFSCME’s claims of bad faith bargaining and characterization of unacceptable bargaining proposals. From January to May, University of California and AFSCME bargaining teams met 22 times and worked collaboratively on proposals for the UC AFSCME-represented employees," it read, in part. For other statements from the UC system related to labor practices, please visit the UC website.