OAKLAND, Calif., June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- A tentative collective bargaining agreement was announced today between patient care workers and the University of California medical centers and campuses.
About 10,000 vocational nurses, radiology technologists and other patient care workers represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Workers (AFSCME) Local 3299 would be covered by the agreement if it is ratified.
The UC medical centers have been profitable, earning profits of $165 million in fiscal year 2002-2003, a 24% increase over the previous year. The agreement provides a 10% wage increase over three years, expiring in September 2007.
“Workers taking action paid off, especially a 1,500-person statewide rally on May 20. Winning raises will help stabilize the patient care work force and help with recruitment and retention issues at the medical centers,” said LaKesha Harrison, a vocational nurse and president of AFSCME, “but UC came up short in three major areas. It failed to address the needs of the low-wage service workers, to give all workers a chance to advance into better jobs and to operate on principles of fairness, not favoritism.”
Over 7,000 UC workers who serve food and clean the hospitals and dorms walked away from an agreement with UC today. The main goals for service workers were more training and opportunities to move into jobs with more responsibility and better pay. A pay system that prevented new hires from earning more than long-time workers doing the same job was also a major goal.
“For an educational institution, UC showed little interest in helping workers better themselves by offering training or giving them a first shot at open positions,” said Harrison.
UC workers and their supporters will hold a giant event at UC Irvine on June 23, 2004, to protest the lack of “chances to advance” at California’s premier public university. A majority of UC service employees work in southern California. Their union contract expires June 30, 2004.
AFSCME Local 3299
CONTACT: Craig Merrilees, Director, AFSCME Local 3299,cell, +1-510-744-5325, or office +1-510-844-1160, ext. 117
