Allen Villanueva sat on the high of a hill of synthetic grass in San Francisco together with his shih tzu, Gio, wanting down on the plaza outdoors UCSF Benioff Kids’s Hospital in Mission Bay.
Tons of of his fellow medical heart staff had begun picketing and the longtime member of the College Skilled and Technical Staff, Communications Staff of America (UPTE-CWA) Native 9119 union contemplated what he would say to them.
Villaneuva has been a medical analysis animal technician at UC San Francisco for 32 years, and a member of UPTE-9119 for simply as lengthy. He’s certainly one of greater than 50,000 College of California well being staff, lab technicians, psychological well being counselors, researchers, educators, IT specialists, and affected person care and repair laborers who launched a multi-day statewide strike this week.
Whereas persevering with to advocate for situations demanded throughout a November strike, together with larger wages and raises, two unions are actually railing in opposition to what they are saying are unconstitutional free speech restrictions surrounding their collective bargaining.
The strike froze core capabilities — together with appointment scheduling, prescription achievement and psychological well being care companies — throughout UC campuses and affiliated medical services at the same time as emergency companies continued. The strike additionally meant stalled analysis in fields like most cancers, local weather change and epidemiology.
Additionally among the many strikers had been staff at UC Davis’s California Animal Well being and Meals Security (CAHFS) Lab. The power is the one one within the state with the federal biosecurity clearance to deal with and observe essentially the most harmful samples of extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
Almost 20,000 workers throughout the UC system are members of UPTE-9119; 98% of them voted to proceed with their largest strike ever, in response to the union, with the strike anticipated to final via Friday.
Some 37,000 extra UC staff are represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Staff 3299 (AFSCME-3299). The union staged a strike via Thursday.
In a press release, the College of California stated each unions had been “amplifying misinformation” with protests after failing to barter in good religion.
UPTE-9119 president Dan Russell, attending the rally at UCSF-Mission Bay, stated in a textual content that assertion was “patently false,” and that UC was not critical about discussing staff’ priorities.
On the high of these priorities, in response to the unions, is defending First Modification rights.
In January, UPTE-9119 submitted a 490-page unfair apply cost to the state’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). Amongst different grievances, the doc reported bans at UCSF and UC Davis in opposition to handing out leaflets inside 50 toes of a college doorway. APSCME-3299 filed its personal fees to PERB final yr.
Heather Hansen, a spokesperson for the UC Workplace of the President, stated UC has “clear authority to set reasonable rules for our property, including when, where and how people express themselves.”
Hansen additionally cited Senate Invoice 108, signed into regulation final yr to implement “safety and access to educational opportunities and campus spaces and buildings.”
At UCSF-Mission Bay, Villanueva stated he was shedding sleep over fears of employer retaliation.
He stated he developed a protrusion in his left palm recognized as lipoma – a non-cancerous tumor of fats cells irritated by repetitive duties, equivalent to pulling lots of of shoebox-sized cages of lab rodents out of cabinets day by day. He stated he wants surgical procedure to appropriate the issue.
“I want to bring up awareness for people in power to be kind — people are going through things,” he stated.
Liz Perlman, government director of AFSCME-3299, stated her union’s workers work facet by facet with UPTE-9119’s however that her members embrace the lowest-paid affected person care staff within the UC system. “Our folks are the ones who cook food, clean patient rooms, provide patient security and transportation, X-rays, ultrasounds and cancer treatments,” she stated.
UC maintains {that a} recruitment and retention downside doesn’t exist, however Perlman spoke of a “massive exodus” of workers who’ve disappeared from payrolls for the reason that coronavirus pandemic. She stated this was hastened by pay that has lagged behind inflation and excessive prices of dwelling.
When Kayla Greenback started working for the UC Davis CAHFS lab in 2022, she stated she joined a full employees that already had lots to do. Then got here chook flu.
“We were getting an increasing number of samples, and we weren’t getting an increasing numbers of technicians,” she stated.
After a few veteran colleagues left the staff, Greenback sought to fill the hole by advancing from lab assistant to technician.
“It wasn’t that I was reaching for the stars — I wasn’t under-qualified. I could have been utilized when they needed help and I was not,” Greenback stated.
Final Could, Greenback took a technician place on the college’s Veterinary Genetics Laboratory. She not works with micro organism or reside viruses, however makes use of extra of the talents she as soon as sought to contribute to CAHFS.
“And now, I can take a sick day without feeling like I’m making other people’s lives harder,” she stated. The worth of improved situations, she stated, is guilt for forsaking teammates who stay steeped within the strain cooker surroundings of the chook flu epidemic.
“The UC has tremendous resources — $20 billion in reserves. They should be allowing and supporting research as we face federal attacks,” stated Amy Fletcher, who has been a researcher on the Division of Meals, Science, and Know-how at UC Davis for 9 years. She joined UPTE-9119’s bargaining staff and management in 2019.
Varied UC monetary experiences communicate to those billions in reserves and investments. UC additionally acquired a number of hospitals prior to now yr, together with two in San Francisco. Lastly, high executives obtained hefty raises. UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood’s 16.6% wage bump and price of dwelling adjustment (COLA) raised his annual wage to $1,189,260.
Medical executives are among the many highest paid workers in the complete UC system — UCSF Well being’s president and chief government officer Suresh Gunasekaran’s wage is $2.19 million. The CEO additionally obtained advantages from UC’s house mortgage program to buy property in Pacific Heights.
The strike “is a short-term sacrifice to force the decision-makers at the university to do the right thing for patients and research,” stated UPTE’s Russell. “I’m hoping they say let’s bargain for real. If they don’t, we can vote to have another strike.”
As of Thursday, neither union was conscious of any UC plans to renew conversations.
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