UCLA medical center employees strike over outsourcing of jobs

WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Hundreds of UCLA medical center employees worried about their jobs held a strike Thursday, marching down Westwood Boulevard amid wet conditions.

"We're now overworked, we're underpaid and we're understaffed, and then when we try to ask for more staff they're offering us contracted workers in a lot of departments, and that's not what we need," dietician Daniel Mein said.

The workers serve in support positions to doctors and nurses. Strikes like the one held Thursday are happening at UC medical centers across the state.

Hospital administrators say it's not about outsourcing, but salary increases the system cannot afford.

UC administrators say the union is demanding an eight percent annual wage increase, triple what other staff have received.

Administrators also maintain workers would be better served by spending more time at the negotiating table rather than striking.

The strike was the fifth held in the past year.