Fighting for equity: UC Irvine rehab workers picket, physician assistants at UC San Diego pass out flyers at their hospital
Across the University of California—on campuses, in our hospitals, and beyond—management has grown increasingly stubborn and unwilling to listen to the needs of frontline workers. UC has failed to invest in maintaining adequate staffing levels and compensation needed to retain a skilled workforce, but workers at UC medical centers in Irvine and San Diego are fighting back.
As more and more of us struggle to make ends meet amid California's ever-increasing cost of living, there aren't enough people to ensure timely and effective treatment at UC medical centers. This can lead to delayed care, medical errors, worse outcomes for patients, and more.
At UC Irvine Health, this is widely felt among occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and physical therapists. On June 29, dozens of those same workers hosted an informational picket outside the hospital to protest management's lack of urgency in addressing the growing staffing crisis. The picket comes on the heels of several other attempts to compel management to take action, as many patients are forced to wait months to see a rehab specialist.
"We are out here asking for respect from UCI and from management. We are fighting burnout and staff turnout that doesn't let us give the level of care we'd like to for each patient," said Adrianna Olch, an Occupational Therapist at UC Irvine. "We're being denied time off, we're not able to recharge our batteries or spend time with our families. As much as we love providing for our patients at this very vulnerable time in their lives, we have to be at our best to be able to do that efficiently. We are asking for better staffing, we are asking to be respected, and be allowed to provide the best care that we can."
At UC San Diego Health, management has refused to acknowledge the hard work of Physician Assistants by denying them equal pay with nurse practitioners, despite their identical job duties. UC San Diego Health has also proposed that Physician Assistants take on additional responsibilities outside of their job duties without compensation or face demotion, and clinical lab specialists and IT professionals at UCSD are similarly undercompensated compared to neighboring facilities.
In response to these issues, members at UCSD spent time handing out flyers and talking to patients about their ongoing concerns regarding staffing and patient care at the hospital. They also asked supporters to call Patty Maysent, the CEO of UCSD Health, to urge her to take action.
All of this raises significant concerns about whether UC is committed to being able to hire the staff necessary to care for patients. If you're facing similar issues in your workplace and want to learn about ways you can fight back, please reach out to your UPTE organizer.
