UCSD Health IT workers win equity review and reverse unilateral strict policies
In 2022, an interim IT director was appointed at UC San Diego, signaling the beginning of a managerial shift in the Information Technology Services department. The new manager implemented changes that significantly disrupted the established working environment, including a drastic alteration in personnel duties, responsibilities, and scheduling. This led to a thinly stretched workforce, making recruiting and retaining necessary personnel impossible.
The situation highlighted significant operational flaws, including an on-call rotation with shift differentials established without proper negotiation or agreement with UPTE, violating the standard bargaining processes and contract negotiations. All of this precipitated an eventual call by UPTE members for an equity review.
"To add insult to injury, a restrictive vacation policy was unilaterally introduced by management, limiting vacation requests to the same quarter and allowing no more than one person per team to take leave at any given time," conveyed Pablo Labarrere, a UPTE unit representative and Business Technical Support Analyst 3, working almost six years for UC San Diego Health. "It was totally done outside the meet-and-confer process."
The series of one-sided policy changes from UC management was met with significant resistance by workers, leading to a pivotal labor-management meeting in March. Along with others in the IT Shared Services department, Pablo helped unite his colleagues in the IT Field Services and Service Desk teams to push back.
"We came together by fostering a culture of transparency, unity, and active participation," expressed Pablo. "We formed an organizing committee in December representing members from both teams. The committee was instrumental in scripting, documenting grievances, and setting the agenda for a constructive dialogue during the meeting."
The joint committee's collective efforts culminated in a victorious equity review for all Business Technical Support Analysts (BTSA) 2 and 3 working at UC San Diego Health. UPTE IT members also fought to reverse the one-way, non-negotiated on-call rotation with shift differentials policy and the constraining vacation policy.
"By building solidarity between workers, we hold an undeniable power," described Pablo. "By coming together and not letting our differences divide us, we've shown that it's entirely possible to push back against and reverse unilateral changes imposed by management. What we did is not just about the issues we faced; it's a broader statement on the efficacy of collective action and solidarity. Our success is a reminder that we can ensure our voices are heard and acted upon through unity and collective organizing, leading to a more just and respectful workplace."
