SOLIDARITY ALERT: IFPTE Stands with ESC in Unfair Labor Practice Strike
IFPTE stands with our Brothers and Sisters at the Engineers and Scientists of California (ESC/IFPTE Local 20) who will hold an Unfair Labor Practice strike next week against Santa Clara County. The affected members, medical professionals who work at hospitals and labs in the county, are holding a 3-day ULP strike because of bad-faith negotiations. ESC issued a media advisory outlining the issue earlier this week. An updated media advisory will be issued later today.
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Santa Clara County Health Professionals Give Notice of Intent to Hold Unfair Labor Practice Strike
Strike planned for March 24th through 26th as county prepares to assume control of
Regional Medical Center on April 1
March 13, 2025
Medical professionals working at Santa Clara County hospitals and the County public health labs gave notice to the County this week that they plan to hold an Unfair Labor Practice strike March 24th through 26th in response to the County’s failure to negotiate in good faith.
Workers who plan to strike include hundreds of clinical lab scientists, microbiologists, medical laboratory technicians, and other workers at Valley Medical Center and O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, and the County public health labs. They are represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California (ESC) and have been in negotiations with the County for their next union contract since July 2024.
ESC health professionals say that the County has impeded contract negotiations by refusing to bargain in good faith, failing and refusing to explain its proposals asking the union to waive protected rights, and threatening to unilaterally impose these waivers of rights in violation of the law. These rights include the right to negotiate over future changes to working conditions and the right to take collective action to improve patient care. Workers unanimously voted at the end of February to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice strike, with nearly 90% of eligible workers participating in the vote and 100% of participants voting “yes”.
“Our members have given us the mandate to insist on good faith bargaining so we can continue to deliver quality patient care and reject the County’s effort to forcibly waive our rights,” said Jaspal Sandhu, a Clinical Lab Scientist at Valley Medical Center and member of the workers’ negotiating team. “We remain committed to working towards reaching a fair agreement but will strike if necessary to try to put an end to the County’s bad faith.”
Joana Santos, a Clinical Laboratory Scientist at St. Louise Regional Hospital, agreed, saying that unilaterally imposing the County’s management rights proposal could put patient safety at risk by allowing managers to move workers between highly specialized worksites without their input on important issues such as whether there is adequate time to train on new equipment and procedures. “Our patients deserve better, for they trust us with our health,” said Santos. “We need to continue their trust.”
Who: Hundreds of clinical lab scientists, microbiologists, medical laboratory technicians,
and other workers at Santa Clara County hospitals and public health labs
What: Unfair Labor Practice strike
When: March 24th, 25th, and 26th
Where: Valley Medical Center and O’Connor Hospital in San Jose
Engineers and Scientists of California (ESC) is a democratic, member-driven labor union that represents over 8,000 highly skilled professionals at public- and private-sector healthcare facilities as well as PG&E, the Environmental Protection Agency, and nonprofit organizations. ESC is an affiliate of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, the California Labor Federation, and the AFL-CIO.
Contact: Marianne Kaletzky, ESC Communications Specialist, 510.708.6456 or mkaletzky@ifpte20.org