Representatives from the UCLA Medical Center and the American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees met Wednesday
to discuss recent layoffs and what the next step may be for both
sides.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 143 full-time positions have been
eliminated in the UCLA health-care system, though many of those
could have been open positions that were never filled, said Roxanne
Moster, a spokeswoman for the medical center.
Layoffs and reductions took place in late February and the
beginning of March.
The University of California first told AFSCME that layoffs were
anticipated to occur in early February.
The UC decided that statewide layoffs were necessary because of
UC medical centers’ negative revenue over the past year.
“Like most hospitals in Southern California, UCLA is
struggling with inflation of costs, increase in costs to purchase
supplies, increase in salaries,” Moster said.
“In addition, reimbursement rates for patients is
unfavorable for caring for patients, with less reimbursements for
patient care making it difficult on the hospital’s bottom
line,” she said.
Reimbursements for the hospital are provided by patients’
insurance companies.
During the meeting, workers voiced their concerns about
reductions and changes in hours and being trained to do jobs other
than their own that they did not want to perform, said Nicole
Moore, an organizer for AFSCME.
“People don’t want to do another person’s job.
There are disgruntled employees; morale is horrible,” said
Diana Zauuacki, who has been a secretary in the UCLA intensive care
unit for nine years and is a member of AFSCME.
Zauuacki argues that right now is not an ideal time for
layoffs.
She says the unit she works in has been understaffed for several
years, and is currently the most understaffed she’s seen it
since she started working there.
“Seventy-seven reductions were eliminated through
carefully managed attrition, and about 64 full-time employees were
laid off,” Moster said.
Approximately 160 additional full-time jobs are expected to be
reduced, and the medical center says it expects a large majority to
occur through attrition and reduction in work time.
AFSCME plans to meet with management again next week to propose
suggestions to UCLA representatives regarding the hospital’s
current layoff situation.
In the meantime, the union has ideas on how the UC can make the
layoff process easier.
“First ask for volunteers for the two-month severance
package to help (workers) find another job,” Moore said.
“Some people might take it and leave.”
Moore says AFSCME’s main stance right now is “no
layoffs and no decrease in our patient care.”
Moster says the hospitals are looking at fewer than 20 more
eliminations of positions held by current employees.
There is no set date for when the remaining layoffs will
occur.