San Diego, California – More than 600 technical employees at Rady Children’s Hospital have voted to authorize a strike, signaling growing frustration among the hospital’s frontline workforce as contract negotiations drag on with no resolution in sight.
The vote, taken by members of the United Nurses of Children’s Hospital (UNOCH), Teamsters Local 1699, does not automatically trigger a work stoppage. Instead, it gives union leadership the authority to call a strike if talks fail to produce an agreement before the current contract expires on July 5. By law, the union must provide the hospital with a 10-day notice before any strike begins.
Hospital administrators acknowledged the strike authorization in a statement, emphasizing their commitment to reaching a “fair and timely agreement.” But union leaders argue that the time for platitudes has passed…