LifeLong Medical Care employees picketed across the East Bay yesterday.
They're represented by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, which has been engaged in contract negotiations with LifeLong Medical since December of last year.
Family medicine physician Julia Marino spoke to KALW outside of LifeLong's west Berkeley center. She said that workers primarily want higher compensation and more manageable workload.
"It's pretty common knowledge in the region that our patients here at LifeLong tend to be more complicated patients than a lot of other places," said Marino. "And that's part of the joy and the purpose that we, as providers, feel in terms of being able to help those patients. But it also means that they have a lot of needs. And there's a lot of extra behind the scenes work that goes into that care."
LifeLong Medical currently serves over 50,000 patients in Alameda and Contra Costa counties every year. A majority of these patients are insured by Medi-Cal, the state's insurance option for very low-income residents.
Marino acknowledged that LifeLong Medical has been responsive to requests for improved accommodations for providers who are nursing. But she says that latest wage increase proposals don’t go far enough. Union representatives are calling on LifeLong Medical to provide more financial transparency when it comes to their latest offers.
"Multiple times our chief negotiator has said to them, 'Look, if this is all you can afford, tell us that. Show us your books, and we'll understand that," said Marino, "We get it!'"
In a statement, a LifeLong Medical representative wrote, “Like community health centers across the country, LifeLong is operating in an increasingly uncertain health care environment, including changes at the federal and state level that could affect Medicaid and the patients and communities we serve. Leadership has shared a high-level P&L [profit and loss] with the union. We also presented the data on federal and state level changes, and walked them through it. That is the best way to balance the interests of transparency and privacy for non-union staff who do not want their salaries disclosed.”
LifeLong Medical CEO John Jenkins told KALW, "We put our very best offer on the table for compensation, and we've been clear that a strike won't make us change that position."
LifeLong Medical and UAPD representatives are scheduled for another bargaining session today.
If an agreement is not reached, LifeLong providers will vote on whether or not to go on a one-day strike this coming Monday.
