Health care workers strike at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland due to integration plans

Hundreds of healthcare workers have gone on strike at Oakland’s UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

Hundreds of healthcare workers have gone on strike at Oakland’s UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

Hundreds of healthcare workers have gone on strike at Oakland’s UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

Hundreds of healthcare workers have gone on strike at Oakland’s UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — Hundreds of health care workers and their supporters have gone on strike at Oakland’s UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

They say UCSF is canceling union contracts and cutting take-home pay.

The workers belong to National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents around 1,300 workers.

“This is not what we want to do, but UCSF has shown that they are not willing to come to the table in any real way to work with us. They have really forced our hand,” said Carly Sanders, an occupational therapist at the hospital.

Children’s Hospital Oakland has been affiliated with UCSF Health since 2014.

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Right now, workers at the hospital and other satellite clinics in the East Bay are employees of the hospital, not UCSF Health. However, UCSF is now saying the employees are transitioning to UC employment and unions next month.

“What they’re doing to us here is nothing less than union busting. They’re trying to take away our union, the things that we’ve worked for and collaborated for throughout the years,” said Cameron Lewis who works in guest services at the hospital.

The union said employees would have to be rehired, lose seniority and do the same work for less take-home pay — something they say is causing many longtime employees to leave at a time when the hospital is already understaffed.

UCSF issued this statement in response to the claims:

“UCSF is unifying the workforce of our children’s health system to deliver even better care for Bay Area children — and to realize our $1.6 billion investment in the future of pediatric care in Oakland.

As part of this integration, employees at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland are transitioning to UC employment and joining the same public-sector unions that represent their colleagues across the Bay and thousands of public employees across California. This transition supports long-term growth, aligns our teams under a single system, and strengthens our ability to serve children and families with high-quality, coordinated care.

Claims that employees are being fired and rehired are simply false. Every employee is being mapped to a position in the appropriate unit at UCSF.

Some take-home pay may change because today, many employees pay nothing toward their health insurance or retirement. Under UC employment, they will contribute — just as their colleagues across the UCSF system do — and in exchange, they will gain access to a far more valuable pension and comprehensive, long-term benefits.

We have taken steps to protect continuity of care throughout the strike and remain focused on what matters most: the children and families who rely on us every day.”

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Union members say, ultimately, their messaging comes down to one demand.

“They need to stop this transition,” Lewis said. “What is the purpose?”

The plan to integrate the hospital with UCSF Health takes effect on July 6. Workers say the strike is open ended.

UCSF said the emergency department and operating rooms remain open but clinics in Walnut Creek, San Ramon and Brentwood are closed. It is working to convert appointments to telehealth where appropriate and reschedule elective appointments.