Unionized technical workers at University of California's five hospitals plan to go on strike March 24, according to a Venice-MarVista Patch report.
About 13,000 employees, members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, authorized a strike with 97 percent support in a vote last week.
Union officials claim the hospital implemented benefit cuts and made demands for new layoff powers, according to the report. "By repeatedly and illegally subverting the collective bargaining process, UC has created unnecessary conflict and sabotaged our good faith efforts to improve patient care at UC hospitals," a union leader said in the report.
Hospital officials say the union is "perpetuating conflict by threatening patient care" and called the strike "patently unfair to the people we serve and our other dedicated hospital workers," the Venice-MarVista Patch reported.
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