A plan by the Teamsters union to conduct a one-day labor strike Jan. 10 by clerical workers across the University of California system has been met with recrimination by UC San Diego Health, which said it plans to keep its facilities open during what it called a potentially illegal job action.
Teamsters Local 2010 announced the strike Jan. 9, saying it expects protests, picket lines and delays at all 10 UC campuses and medical centers. It said the action is aimed at addressing low wages, unfair labor practices, delays in contract bargaining and retaliation against workers involved in union activities.
The union advised members of the public to reschedule nonessential medical appointments at the university system’s hospitals, including UCSD Hillcrest and UCSD La Jolla Thornton hospitals.
For its part, UCSD said that because it was continuing to bargain with the Teamsters, the strike is not only counterproductive to negotiations, but also presumably unlawful.
The university said it and UC San Diego Health, its associated health system, have contingency plans to keep all its medical facilities and clinics fully operational during normal business hours. It added that providing medical care to patients was its “first priority.”
In a news release, UCSD also struck back at the Teamsters’ assertion that University of California workers are underpaid. It said UC clerical employees are offered guaranteed pay raises – 18 percent during the next six years – plus good benefits and stability.
Specifically, it said such workers earn an average salary of $47,300 per year, and that they pay $384 per year for health insurance for themselves and their children. It said the university system’s proposed wage increases would ensure clerical staff receive market-competitive pay consistent with other employees’ wages, regardless of union status.
