Through collective action, UCSF Clinical Lab Scientists win weekend differential pay and other increases

UCSF Clinical Lab Scientists (CLS) recently won their first-ever weekend differential, increased evening and night differentials, and an across-the-board wage increase. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a huge increase in the number of CLS jobs available in the Bay Area due to the high need for CLSs to process COVID tests.

Many CLSs left UCSF for these higher-paying jobs, which led to increased workload for those who remained, including mandatory overtime and an increased number of required weekend shifts.

Last year, UCSF CLSs delivered a petition to Joanne Wong, the Clinical Lab Director, demanding an across-the board wage increase, increased staffing, weekend differentials, and increased evening and night differentials. Management quickly agreed to a 6% wage increase for all CLSs, a $7/hour evening shift differential (increased from $4/hour), and an $11/hour night shift differential (increased from $7.50/hour). After several months of UPTE members pushing for weekend differentials, management agreed to a $4/hour weekend shift differential, which is the first time that any UC CLSs have had a weekend differential.

"Patient care relies on quick and accurate clinical lab results which come from CLS who are scheduled on all shifts, 7 days a week, including all holidays. Our CLS leaders helped to conduct a weekend differential survey that had over 150 participants. This survey, along with data from similar markets helped to push UC to up their original offer of $2.50/hr," said Doug Chin, a Clinical Lac Scientist at UCSF. "Our wide network of over a dozen CLS leaders across 6 major clinical lab sites played a major part in this victory.  We are proud that we were able to fight for a fair differential so that our CLS across the union can be compensated for having come to work on a weekend to perform critical lab testing."