UC healthcare workers begin 2-day strike across California

Thousands of UC healthcare workers began a two-day strike across California on Wednesday. 

"Frontline Service and Patient Care UC workers are on strike November 20 and November 21, 2024 to protest UC’s bad-faith bargaining and unfair labor practices," AFSCME Local 3299 union posted on its website.

The union claims that UC representatives have negotiated illegally leaving workers with no choice but to go on strike.

Some of the over 37,000 UC healthcare workers striking at 6 a.m. outside Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood told KTLA they are living paycheck to paycheck and have had enough.

One woman said she makes less than a fast-food worker. 

“We endanger our lives every day coming to work and we still come but we don’t make no money … It’s very stressful,” Jennifer said Wednesday morning. 

Union officials alleged that low pay has forced some workers to endure multi-hour commutes or sleep in their cars.

Another striking worker said patients sometimes have to wait 35 to 45 minutes to be triaged when coming to the hospital. “Since COVID, the volume of patients has risen but our staff has not increased,” Herbert said.

University officials have denied the allegations of unfair bargaining tactics and say they have offered a wage increase to $25 an hour across the system by July 1, 2025.

They blame union officials for declaring the impasse "despite [their] clear willingness to continue to negotiate contract terms."