Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
UPTE Posts Big Gains for Health Care Professionals
Bargaining in the interest of public safety during a time when threats of bioterrorism are a real concern, UPTE/CWA Local 9119 has won across the board raises averaging 3.5 percent for 2,000 health care professionals in the University of California system, reported local President Jelger Kalmijn.
Additional market equity increases to maintain parity with wages at other hospitals will bring many members overall increases of 4 percent to 20 percent, Kalmijn said.
Bargaining for the increases began in August, as mandated by a wage re-opener provision for the third and final year of the professionals’ three-year first contract. It paves the way for joint bargaining this year that will also cover 4,000 researchers and 4,000 technical employees at the system’s five major medical centers: UC San Francisco, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Davis and UCLA, and student health centers.
“This situation is a sharp turnaround from what we faced at the last re-opener a year ago,” Kalmijn said. “It would have been impossible to achieve without the commitment of the
membership, the legislative support of CWA District 9 and Vice President Tony Bixler, and strategic support from the Public, Health Care and Education Workers Department and Vice President Brooks Sunkett.”
UC hospitals have been so short-staffed that many workers have had to work double shifts and feared making critical mistakes because of fatigue. Low wages bring low staffing, while good wages bring full staffing, Kalmijn said. The local pursued the strategy in its mobilization campaign that because of low staffing, the hospitals were ill equipped to deal with bioterrorism or any other widespread emergency.
The local held press conferences, took out an ad in The New York Times, leafleted and lobbied state legislators to reinforce its position.
Said UPTE chief negotiator Wendy Mullen, “We are well positioned to continue building on the bargaining gains we’ve made when we start in February to negotiate our entire contract.”
Additional market equity increases to maintain parity with wages at other hospitals will bring many members overall increases of 4 percent to 20 percent, Kalmijn said.
Bargaining for the increases began in August, as mandated by a wage re-opener provision for the third and final year of the professionals’ three-year first contract. It paves the way for joint bargaining this year that will also cover 4,000 researchers and 4,000 technical employees at the system’s five major medical centers: UC San Francisco, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Davis and UCLA, and student health centers.
“This situation is a sharp turnaround from what we faced at the last re-opener a year ago,” Kalmijn said. “It would have been impossible to achieve without the commitment of the
membership, the legislative support of CWA District 9 and Vice President Tony Bixler, and strategic support from the Public, Health Care and Education Workers Department and Vice President Brooks Sunkett.”
UC hospitals have been so short-staffed that many workers have had to work double shifts and feared making critical mistakes because of fatigue. Low wages bring low staffing, while good wages bring full staffing, Kalmijn said. The local pursued the strategy in its mobilization campaign that because of low staffing, the hospitals were ill equipped to deal with bioterrorism or any other widespread emergency.
The local held press conferences, took out an ad in The New York Times, leafleted and lobbied state legislators to reinforce its position.
Said UPTE chief negotiator Wendy Mullen, “We are well positioned to continue building on the bargaining gains we’ve made when we start in February to negotiate our entire contract.”