The University of California’s largest union representing patient care workers announced Friday it will hold another strike later this month, which will be the fourth one it has threatened in the past year.
The strike would be held for five days from March 24-28 and would cost the UC $10 million a day.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 3299 union, which represents about 13,000 patient care workers in the UC, argues that the University has committed unfair labor practices, including proposing to give itself the power to lay off any number of patient care workers in cases of financial or other internal emergencies. The union has argued this could leave hospitals short-staffed.
Todd Stenhouse, AFSCME 3299 spokesman, also said the union is striking because the University implemented a contract offer last year after negotiations stalled. The union alleges doing so was illegal and bypassed the collective bargaining process.
The University has said it does not comment on specifics of ongoing negotiations because it believes doing so would detract from the bargaining process.
“Unfortunately, perpetuating conflict by threatening patient care at our medical centers has become a recurring bargaining tactic for AFSCME leaders,” said Dwaine Duckett, UC vice president of human resources in a statement. “This is patently unfair to the people we serve and our other dedicated hospital workers. Our patients are not bargaining chips, and strikes are disruptive to the entire medical center community.”
Duckett said the University is still committed to reach a fair contract for AFSCME employees and finish negotiations as quickly as possible. The University met with the union on Friday for another bargaining session.
“It is time to end this cycle of conflict, and conclude these negotiations which have dragged on for far too long,” Duckett said in the statement. “Our employees deserve to receive the raises and good benefits we are offering without further delay.”
The union has been negotiating with the University for a contract for its patient care workers since late 2012. Its concerns include pension costs, patient safety and staffing levels, among other issues.
Stenhouse said this strike is not about the union trying to get provisions it wants in its new contract, but about the unfair labor practices the University allegedly committed.
“We hope the strike will be an effective way to get the UC to stop breaking the law,” Stenhouse said.
Last month, AFSCME 3299 threatened a five-day strike of its service workers that would have occurred last week. The union had already held two strikes in the past year that cost the UC millions each day.
But three days before the five-day strike happened, the University reached a tentative agreement with the union’s service worker leadership after more than a year of bitter collective bargaining.
On Thursday, a different union representing UC teaching assistants also announced a strike it will hold next month, saying it believes AFSCME’s threatened strike was effective in having the University and union come to agreement.
“Credible strike threats in which huge numbers of people are mobilized and ready to participate have been very effective in the AFSCME contract struggle and in our own recent effort to solve grievances,” said officials of the UC Student-Workers Union Local 2865 at UC Santa Cruz in a statement on its Facebook page.
In May, AFSCME patient care workers went on strike for two days and cost the UCLA Health System $5 million. In November, AFSCME members went on a one-day strike that cost the UCLA Health System $2.5 million.
Compiled by Kristen Taketa, Bruin senior staff. Contributing reports from Emily Liu, Bruin contributor.