Doctors at the University of California student health centers will go on their second strike in three months starting Thursday, claiming the UC has not provided the financial information that the union needs.
Doctors at the UCLA student health center – as well as at UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and UC San Diego – will go on strike April 11-15, while doctors at Northern California campuses will strike April 9-13.
The Union of American Physicians and Dentists has filed multiple unfair labor practice charges against the University, said the union in the press release announcing the strike Friday. The union said that the University has not done enough to retain its student health center doctors.
The University said in its latest bargaining update on March 4 that it offered the doctors a five-year contract with 3.5 percent wage increase upon ratification and a 3 percent annual wage increase through 2018-2019. The University said its wage proposal is similar in terms of wage increases to what UC campus employees receive, and claimed that the union has called for 6 to 9 percent wage increase a year.
Dwaine B. Duckett, the University’s vice president for human resources, said in the statement Friday that the University is taking appropriate steps to ensure health care for students is uninterrupted. He also said the union has refused to discuss those claimed unfair labor practices at the bargaining table.
The union has been negotiating with the University for more than a year for its first labor contract. It has represented the University student health center doctors since 2013.
Doctors went on a one-day strike in January, in which more than 100 doctors participated systemwide. The union cited similar reasons as to why it went on strike in January. Since then, both parties have met with an independent state mediator.
The union said in its press release that times and locations for picket lines will be finalized next week.
Compiled by Jeong Park, Bruin senior staff.