UC service workers strike over wage dispute
James Harris, a senior security officer at UC Irvine Medical Center, uses the loud voice he perfected during his U.S. Marine Corps training to cheer as UC service workers hold picket signs demanding higher wages. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Service workers at the University of Californias 10 campuses and five medical centers, including those at UC Irvine and UCLA, launched a five-day strike Monday. UC and the service workers union have been negotiating a new contract since last year. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Service workers march with picket signs in front of the UCLA Medical Center. More than 8,000 unionized service workers -- including custodians, groundskeepers, food service workers and some nurses -- at all UC campuses have called a strike, saying they are paid 25% less than workers who hold similar jobs at community colleges and private hospitals. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
At UCLA, more than 250 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and their supporters lined up outside the new UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Westwood early Monday. Hospital officials say the strike has not negatively affected patient care, but they fear that could change if the strike continues or if more workers join the picket line. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Mario Fuentes leads his fellow picketers in a chant as they take to the streets in front of the new $1-billion UCLA Medical Center, which opened June 30. Some passersby honked and hooted in support of the workers. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
