UC patient care technical workers’ union votes to strike

A union that represents patient care technical workers at the University of California announced today its members will go on strike to protest ongoing negotiations with the University.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, which represents about 13,000 workers across the UC, is currently in the midst of negotiations with the UC concerning employee pay and pension changes.

The two parties reached a stalemate over the course of the negotiations – which began in June 2012 – and have since brought in a third-party mediator.

Last week, AFSCME 3299 held a three-day strike vote, in which union workers voted on whether or not they supported going on strike.

Thousands of union workers cast their votes during the three-day period at medical and student health centers across all 10 campuses, according to a press release from AFSCME 3299 released today.

According to the press release, 97 percent of union workers voted to support going on strike.

The dates and length of the strike have not yet been finalized, according to the press release.

[Updated 1:30 p.m.: The UCLA Health System released a statement in response to AFSCME 3299’s decision to strike.

“It is very disappointing that AFSCME is threatening services to patients as a tactic in negotiations that are mainly about pension benefits,” the statement reads. “Our patients are not bargaining chips.”

The statement also said that members of the Health System are currently meeting to identify contingency plans for when the workers go on strike.

UCLA-related patient care areas that will be impacted from the strike include Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, the David Geffen School of Medicine, Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA and its community and outpatient clinics, according to the statement.

“The cost of bringing in replacement workers to provide medical care safely and effectively will be millions of dollars, not to mention the burden this will put on our non-striking employees,” the statement read.]

Both the union and representatives of the UC said last month the University medical centers have contingency plans in place in case of such a scenario, but neither party could provide more information on the details of a plan.

Compiled by Katherine Hafner, Bruin senior staff

[Source]: Daily Bruin