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UC nursing union scores a new deal, and another union goes on strike
AFSCME 3299 members are on a two-day strike over what the union says are stalled negotiations with the University of California.
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Julia Barajas
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UC service worker union goes on strike after it says negotiations stall out
Members have been working without a contract for over a year.
Thousands of University of California campus and health center employees are on a two-day strike beginning Monday. Workers say they’re hitting the picket line over failed contract negotiations.
AFSCME Local 3299 represents custodians, food service workers, patient care assistants and hospital technicians. Its members have been working without a contract for over a year, and they say they’ve been priced out of local housing markets because their wages have failed to keep pace with inflation.
José Pérez has cleaned the floors of UC Irvine’s medical center for nearly a decade. He’s also the father of an undergrad at the campus.
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Julia Barajas
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LAist
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Cynthia Aguiñiga clocks in at 5:45 a.m. at the medical center, where she distributes dining trays to patients. She said about 75% of her paycheck goes to paying rent.
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Julia Barajas
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LAist
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At UC Irvine’s medical center, several hundred people marched in protest.
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Monica De León is a hospital unit secretary in the labor and delivery department, where she supports nurses and doctors. She’s been there for almost 20 years.
“We wouldn't be out here if the university had offered something that was fair to our members,” she said. “We all want to make sure that we take care of our own families, the way that I take care of the babies that are born here.”
"We're health care workers, but we're still thinking twice about going to a doctor's appointment because our rates have gone up," says Monica De León.
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Julia Barajas
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LAist
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In a statement Friday, UC pointed to successful contract negotiations with several other labor groups.
“These outcomes show that UC can and has quickly closed deals when both parties actively participate in solutions-oriented bargaining," the statement said.
As an example: the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United announced Sunday that they reached a deal with the university system, and opted not to join this week's strike.
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