University of California medical centers very well may have quite a fiasco on their hands next week. Patient care and technical workers are threatening a two-day strike on May 21 and 22.
"On May 10, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union, which represents more than 12,500 UC patient care employees, announced it is asking members to strike UC's five medical centers on May 21 and 22. AFSCME-represented UC service workers also are expected to strike in sympathy with patient care employees," University of California San Francisco said in a statement online.
The union has made sure that its strike will be as safe as possible for the patients at the University of California hospitals it represents. Emergency services will still be staffed as normal as will critical scheduled surgeries. Elective surgeries, however, are already being rescheduled in anticipation of the strike.
Though the union claims that it is doing what it can to make sure that the patients stay safe during this process, not everyone sees it that way. Some believe that such workers are being extremely uncharitable given the situation.
"It is highly inappropriate to threaten services to patients as a tactic in contract negotiations," said Dwaine Duckett, vice president for systemwide human resources at UC. "We believe our current offer to AFSCME, which includes wage increases and good benefits, is very fair, and our pension reforms are similar to what has been implemented for state employees, some of whom are represented by AFSCME."
AFSCME has fired back by saying that the negotiations need to focus on dangerously low staffing levels. The new off would also cut down on long-term benefits for new hires as well as increase employee contribution to their benefits.
Currently UC is seeking an injunction to stop the strike from happening, though that seems unlikely at this point. The medical centers have been training temporary workers to come in the mean time if the strike actually takes place. Both sides seem to agree on one thing:
"The most important thing here is that patient safety be preserved," said Todd Stenhouse, spokesman for Local 3299 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.