Physicians across California are standing together today to send a message to the University of California (UC) today: respect your doctors! The Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) represents doctors who provide healthcare to students on UC campuses and are striking today in an effort to urge the UC to bargain in good faith.

“A ULP strike is the only way to compel UC to follow the laws that govern bargaining,” explained UAPD President Stuart A. Bussey, M.D. “Unfortunately, UC has a history of disrespecting workers during negotiations, and we’re no exception to that.”

Student health doctors on UC campuses organized their union with UAPD in 2013 and are currently bargaining with UC for their first contract. These doctors are vital for thousands of students in California and provide compassionate care regardless of insurance status.

Unfortunately, bargaining has been long and arduous – after a full year of negotiations, 41 bargaining sessions, and the UAPD team’s continuous effort to find middle ground, the UC’s behavior has made it impossible to reach a fair agreement. UAPD has been forced to file multiple Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges against the UC but their negotiators have not changed their tune.
 

Charles McDaniel, M.D., a psychiatrist who works at UCLA, said,

We organized a union so that UC would respect doctors, and take seriously its obligation to provide health care, including adequate mental health services, to the students. We have been trying to reach an agreement at the bargaining table, but UC’s ongoing unfair labor practices are standing in the way of that.

It’s time for the UC to acknowledge the value of the care their physicians provide to students on campus. We urge you to stand in solidarity with our doctors today!

You can visit UAPD's website for more information.