Last week, UC doctors gathered outside the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital to announce the launch of a campaign to unionize. The campaign is in partnership with the Service Employees International Union ("SEIU").
The UC health system is California’s second largest employer, and serves over two million residents a year across the state.
Dr. Erica Brode is a Family Medicine doctor at UCSF. She’s been with the UC system for nearly two decades but she’s unionizing now because she wants to return to patient-centered care.
"In my early career, I so desperately loved the UCSF values. I lived them. I believed in them," said Dr. Brode. "And over the last couple of years, I feel like I've seen a shift in UCSF priorities to more of, like, an expansion effort and, um, prioritizing profits."
Earlier this month, SEIU claimed a first of its kind victory for early career doctors across the UC system. The agreement included an 18% salary increase and improved safety measures.
UCSF occupational health physician Max Blumberg was a part of that union four years ago, but as a senior doctor now, he’s no longer eligible.
“ We're being asked to do more with less across the system," said Dr. Blumberg. "It feels like often the priority of the administration is to build new fancy buildings or cut costs instead of supporting the staff who actually do the work.”
A spokesperson for the University of California Office of the President told KALW that “UC respects employees’ rights under applicable law to engage in protected activities, including organizing” and that they “remain committed to listening to our workforce.”
Outside the hospital, doctors told KALW that workplace violence between patients and staff, balancing care and teaching responsibilities, and shifts in insurance contracts are impacting their ability to provide care.
SEIU Doctor’s United announced that they aim to recruit 10,000 senior physicians across in the UC system in the coming months.
