Hundreds of people, including a state legislator, chanted and picketed in front of UC Davis Medical Center this morning as a strike of University of California service workers went into its third day.
No reports of progress toward resolving the impasse over wages and other issues have been made. The university says its contract offer is appropriate and has threatened striking workers with disciplinary action for ignoring a temporary restraining order issued in San Francisco Superior Court on Friday prohibiting the strike.
But the striking employees have rallied political support.
Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, D-Sylmar, exhorted an estimated 300 workers at about 10:30 a.m. in front of the hospital's main entrance on Stockton Boulevard, telling striking employees that they are the "heart and backbone of the UC system."
"It's an inherent responsibility of the UC system to do the right thing by their workers," Fuentes said in an interview with the Bee. "These employees should have a living wage."
On Tuesday, state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, sent a letter to UC administration, asking them to stop threatening striking workers with disciplinary action.
Service workers, who are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, are asking for guaranteed overtime pay, a step system for salaries, uniform statewide wages and wage increases.
Amarjit Kaur, a senior custodian at the medical center, has been on the picket lines since Monday. Kaur, who has two children, said she is among the lowest-paid workers at the hospital.
"We are understaffed, overworked, underpaid," she said.
Gail Price, the local union's treasurer, said strikers are planning to continue picketing throughout the remainder of the week.
Other hospital and UC employees represented by the union, including patient-care employees, joined service workers on the picket lines this week.
Call The Bee's Niesha Lofing, (916) 321-1270.
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