Thousands of unionized University of California workers plan to begin a three-day strike Tuesday morning that has forced three major UC-run medical centers in San Francisco to cancel or reschedule thousands of appointments.þþThe locations expected to be affected most are UCSF’s Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion facilities. The emergency rooms at Parnassus and Mission Bay will remain open during the strike, but some outpatient clinics at Mount Zion will operate at half capacity, UCSF officials said. Some medical services will be provided by temporary replacement workers, who are not unionized.þþAcross the three UCSF centers, about 4,200 non-urgent appointments, 241 surgeries and 172 chemotherapy and other infusion treatments were rescheduled, according to the university. Ten acute patients were transferred to other hospitals.þþThe unions that plan to strike are AFSCME Local 3299, which represents about 15,000 patient care workers across the 10 UC campuses; Patient Care Technical Unit; and University Professional and Technical Employees-Communications Workers of America. Their members include pharmacists, social workers, respiratory therapists, phlebotomists and patient care assistants.þþAFSCME 3299 spokesman John De Los Angeles said the workers are protesting UC’s practice of hiring contract workers rather than unionized employees for many patient care and service jobs. The contract between UC and AFSCME patient care workers expired in December.þþA spokeswoman for the UC Office of the President said AFSCME leaders are demanding an 8 percent annual wage increase, triple what other UC employees have received, and is “unreasonable.”þþZuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center will be affected to a lesser degree because it employs a smaller number of workers represented by unions.þþAFSCME led a strike in May over salaries and pay inequities, but that strike included the California Nurses Association, which is not part of this week’s planned walkout.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
