Over 80 workers at the UCLA Medical Center gathered in the Center for Health Sciences in front of the office of the UCLA Medical Center CEO David Feinberg to ask him not to increase their health care costs for next year.
After seeing increases in their health care rates last year, the workers are concerned that the rates for 2008, which will be determined in the coming weeks, will also see increases.
The university maintains that it will continue to pay the majority of these health care costs and has tried to keep costs low, UCLA spokeswoman Dale Tate said in a statement.
The 84 workers at the protest, representing a variety of fields from security guards to laboratory scientists, marched through the halls of the hospital to Feinberg’s office, carrying a poster detailing their requests and concerns, and wearing stickers that read, “Affordable Health care for UC Workers.”
Though Feinberg was not present, the workers spoke to Rhonda Williams, a labor relations specialist for the Medical Center, who listened to their requests and thanked them for coming to voice their concerns.
“When the university first increased the cost of my health care last year, it put a huge strain on me and my family,” Monica Martinez, a clinical care partner, read aloud in a statement at the protest.
Francisco Arzu, one of the organizers for the event from American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, said similar actions were taken at other UC Medical Centers.
The unions say that while health care costs only increased 11.7 percent from 2006 to 2007 for the university as a whole, low-wage workers were charged 38 percent more.
They believe the university is attempting to shift these health care costs onto the employees, and the employees are hoping to avoid the same increases as last year.
“The University of California has made a concerted effort to hold down the cost of health benefits for all its employees, but most especially its lower wage earners, which is why the university employs a salary-based price structure,” Tate said in response to these claims.
Lakesha Harrison, president of the AFSCME Local 3299, said the increases still cause harm not only to employees but also to patients.
Harrison said if costs keep increasing employees may look elsewhere for jobs, creating high turnover and less continuity in care.
Patrick Mitchell, a security officer who was involved in the protest, said this turnover would be detrimental for all involved.
“It is bad for the university, bad for patient care,” he said.
With the UCLA Medical Center posting record profits recently, Harrison said she believes the university should be able to absorb the rise in health care costs without raising rates for its employees, particularly its low-wage workers.
Cindy Yuge, a clinical lab scientist who also spoke at the event, made this same sentiment clear in her statement.
“I would expect that some of the $70 million that UCLA made in net income last year could be used to subsidize the rising cost of health care on the staff,” she said.
In her statement, Tate said the rates for next year have not yet been determined, but that the university will continue to pay the majority of the health care costs.
“The university is not immune from cost increases by the health insurance industry, but the strategy we are using helps mitigate increases while preserving excellent benefits and it also helps us avoid cuts in benefits that employers across the country are making,” she added.