Hundreds of UC workers staged a rally near the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
It was part of a one-day strike by thousands of UC healthcare, research, and technical workers across the state over stalled contract talks and allegations of unfair labor practices by UC officials.
Alexis Alvarado is with UPTE, one of the unions representing workers on the picket lines. She told KNX News’ Jon Baird that contract talks haven’t gone far.
“We entered bargaining in June of 2024,” she said. “Our contract ended at the end of October of 2024, so we've been without a contract since then.”
The workers claim that UC officials have not addressed the ongoing staffing crisis and are forcing newly organized groups of workers into separate negotiation processes.
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Meanwhile, UC officials say they have been meeting with union reps for months to try to settle the contracts and offered generous wage increases and monthly credits to reduce health care expenses for lower wage earners.
Officials also claim that the unions have a history of filing unfair labor practice charges and then going on strike.
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