LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on a strike by thousands of University of California workers(all times local):
7:30 a.m.
More than 15,000 University of California radiology technicians, pharmacists and other medical workers have started a three-day strike to protest outsourcing and demand higher wages.
Strikers gathered at sunrise Tuesday throughout the state, wearing green t-shirts, ringing bells and carrying signs that say "End Outsourcing."
The walkout does not include nurses. It is targeting five UC hospitals in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Irvine and Davis, along with clinics, campuses and research facilities.
The strike was called by AFSCME Local 3299, which represents 25,000 service workers, after the union and the university couldn't agree on a new contract and mediation efforts failed.
The same issue prompted a three-day walkout by 53,000 UC workers last May, including custodians and cafeteria workers. Nurses and other medical workers walked out then in sympathy.
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12:00 a.m.
Thousands of University of California medical workers are walking off the job in a contract dispute that has prompted the rescheduling of surgeries and thousands of outpatient appointments.
The three-day strike that begins Tuesday targets five UC hospitals in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Irvine and Davis, along with clinics, campuses and research facilities.
The union says 15,000 radiology technicians, pharmacists and other workers — but not nurses — are striking. About 24,000 other workers, including truck drivers and cooks, are walking in sympathy.
A similar strike in May brought out 53,000 strikers.
Hospitals have hired hundreds of temporary replacements and rescheduled appointments. The UC San Francisco hospital also has rescheduled nearly 240 surgeries.
The main issue is outsourcing. The union says its workers are being displaced by low-paid contractors.
Disclaimer: This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Associated Press (AP) wire.
