About 1,200 workers at the hospital and its satellite clinics are represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which organized Wednesday's demonstration that started at about 11 a.m.
Staff in one department is half of what it used to be since the University of California at San Francisco became affiliated with Children's Hospital Oakland in 2014, a marriage family therapist demonstrating Wednesday said.
Jackie Schalit, a 20-year hospital veteran who works in the early intervention services department, said the department had 40 staff and is down to 19.
She told Bay City News, "We're out here because we're concerned UCSF is not taking into account the community's needs. And we want high quality physical and mental health care here in the East Bay."
Workers have also been without a contract since July. A sticking point in the negotiations is a demand by workers for nine months of advance notice before the hospital cuts jobs or medical services in the East Bay, according to a union fact sheet. UCSF has rejected this demand, union officials said.
Union officials said doctors and other caregivers have also repeatedly raised flags about UCSF reducing care in the East Bay. A 2018 letter signed by doctors criticized UCSF for concentrating specialized care at its hospital in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco.
