Here’s what animal techs did at UC Davis to highlight our staffing crisis
As an Animal Health Technician 3 at UC Davis’ Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH)—ranked the country’s top animal hospital—I am proud of the world‑class care our teams strive to provide. Yet you and I both know reputation alone doesn’t keep patients safe. Regional specialty and emergency clinics now pay up to $15 more per hour than UC Davis, and chronic understaffing means two techs can be responsible for more than sixty ICU patients. Emergencies are turned away, preventable tragedies occur, and the stress is driving talented colleagues out the door.
Sound familiar? Whether you’re at UC Davis, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, UC Riverside, or any other campus‑based clinic, many of us face the same retention, recruitment, and workload crises. That’s why I’m writing to share what we achieved together in Davis last week.
What happened
On Tuesday, July 29, animal health technicians, animal technologists, and other UPTE-represented workers at UC Davis joined an informational picket outside the School of Veterinary Medicine to demand safe staffing.
Media response was immediate: FOX40, The Sacramento Bee, The Davis Enterprise, and others amplified our call that safe staffing saves animal lives.
Earlier that morning, I was live in FOX40’s studio, explaining how we at VMTH treat 50,000 animals each year—cats, dogs, horses, livestock, even exotics—yet can’t retain enough caregivers to meet that need. You can watch what I had to say during the interview here.
Why it matters beyond UC Davis
Shared standards: UC veterinary hospitals set benchmarks for patient care and training not only around California, but also across the country. If we fix staffing levels at UC Davis, we raise expectations everywhere.
Bargaining leverage: when one campus wins stronger ratios or retention pay, it becomes a precedent for the rest of us.
Unified voice: the news media, California state legislators, and the public understand that animals need advocates. A UC systemwide bark is louder than any single hospital or medical center.
We know what’s at stake. Does UC? While the University claims readiness to negotiate in public, at the bargaining table, UC refuses to bargain in good faith. At every session, we highlight the patient care crisis, and every time, UC chooses to ignore us. UC’s refusal to bargain in good faith demonstrates a lack of respect for the vital work that we do and the care we provide. By failing to address the growing staffing crisis in our hospitals, UC executives are jeopardizing patient care.
This week proved what we can do when we stand together. Let’s keep pushing until every animal in our care—and every caregiver on our team—has the resources they need to flourish.
In solidarity,
Gemma Blumenshine
Animal Health Technician 3, UC Davis
UPTE Workplace Representative
