Venice Family Clinic workers, employed by UCLA Health, rally to protect patient care and maintain high-quality services in West LA

In June of 2023, healthcare workers at Venice Family Clinic (VFC) joined our union. Ever since, they have been getting organized and ready to fight for a fair contract and to stop harmful service cuts. The clinic, which serves communities across the west side of Los Angeles, is an affiliate of UCLA Health and UPTE members employed there are on UCLA's payroll.

"We provide high-quality, accessible, and comprehensive services to vulnerable or underserved people. We help tens of thousands of our patients access health care, health insurance enrollment assistance, harm reduction, services, case management, counseling and food pantries. But we are juggling more work than we can handle and struggling to make ends meet. Our patients feel the pinch at the end of the day," said Gloria Hernandez, who works at VFC as a social work associate and domestic violence counselor, as well as lead bargainer for UPTE.

As new members of our union, VFC workers have been negotiating with clinic management to determine how they will integrate with the existing UPTE HX agreement with UC. Meanwhile, some VFC workers are still being paid below the salary ranges previously negotiated by the contracts that now cover them. 

With negotiations underway, UPTE members at VFC recently held a rally outside of the clinic's Rose Ave location in Venice demanding quality patient care, fair pay, and no cuts to service. We were joined by community allies POWER (People Organized for Westside Renewal) as well as Teamsters Local 2010, who also represents workers at VFC. 

"UCLA Health has failed to propose adequate pay for VFC employees, adding insult to injury. Meanwhile, some of us are still being paid below the salary ranges previously negotiated by the UPTE contract that covers us since we joined the union. VFC's own website states that they are experiencing a year of growth and expanding programs. It's our work that is driving that success—why doesn't management think we should get what we deserve?" asked Gloria.

Local residents also shared powerful stories about what the clinic has meant to neighboring communities and why they support an investment in frontline staff. One member of the community, speaking in support of the workers, questioned the priorities of VFC management by pointing out the irony in VFC seemingly having plenty of money to construct new buildings when she couldn't even get an appointment within a few weeks for a strep test because services are so backed up.

Last month, VFC management announced the closure of pharmacy services at their Colen Health Center location without providing notice to neighboring communities or following the appropriate layoff notice language in the HX contract. We called out their bad behavior by hosting a press conference outside of the clinic and also filed unfair practice charges with the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) over this violation of our contract.

Stay tuned—UPTE members are in regular contact with local patients and community groups and are prepared to keep up the pressure on management to protect our services.