25 Arrested At UCLA Protest At Busy Intersection [Video]

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — Police said they arrested about 25 University of California health care workers who staged a sit-in that has closed an intersection, causing traffic backups during rush hour at the Los Angeles campus.

Aerial footage of the protest, which began at 3 p.m. Friday, showed several people sitting in a circle at the intersection of Westwood and Wilshire boulevards.

“This is causing pretty much a traffic nightmare out here for anybody driving through the Westwood area. Wilshire Boulevard [is] usually very busy especially towards this time when people start getting off work. You can see it’s completely shut down right now because of the protest,” said Sky9′s Stu Mundel.

Mundel said that as of 4:10 p.m., the LAPD declared an “unlawful gathering” and arrests ensued.

The union said the workers protested stalled contract talks for 12,000 of the university system’s patient care technical workers.

UC spokesman Steve Montiel told KNX 1070 that the system welcomes getting back to bargaining and is waiting for written contract offers that include pension reform.

“We would welcome getting back to the bargaining table, that’s still an option, we’re waiting for some written contract offers,” Montiel said. “The main issue here is pension reform.”

[Source]: CBS/AP