Click here to watch video of the 12/14/23 practice picketing at OVMC.
The Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) has filed a sweeping Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against the County of Los Angeles for failure to negotiate fairly. Additionally, UAPD attorneys have filed a request to consolidate the UAPD’s charge with that of the County to assure that the UAPD’s charge is heard by the LA County Employee Relations Committee (ERCOM) simultaneously at a special ERCOM meeting on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.
Click here to read the UAPD’s Unfair Labor Practice Charge.
Click here to read the UAPD’s request to consolidate.
Click here to read the County's Charge against the UAPD.
Click here to read the UAPD's response to the County's Charge.
In the County’s ULP, they claim that the impending strike is an “economic strike” aimed at getting leverage at the bargaining table before the two sides had reached an official impasse or exhausted the steps that follow impasse, making it "presumptively unlawful." However, the impending strike is an Unfair Labor Practice strike, not an “economic strike.”
Additionally, the County alleges the strike poses an imminent threat to public health and safety. The UAPD has assured the County that by following line pass procedures, no “essential employees’ will be on strike.
“The UAPD gave notice to the County six weeks ago of the potential need to negotiate line passes to assure that the public is not harmed, specifically to allow certain medical professionals to cross the picket line to provide essential care,” said the UAPD’s Patricia Castillo. “The County could have started their planning six weeks ago but instead waited until the 11th hour to start planning line passes. The parties have engaged in negotiations all weekend long, as well as yesterday and today, to determine which physicians, psychiatrists, and veterinarians will be exempt from the strike in order to ensure continuity of essential services.”
“After two years of bargaining, we were hopeful that the County would come to the bargaining table with a proposal we could negotiate,” said the UAPD’s Christopher Ige. “The County did not provide a complete proposal for Unit 324 until Dec. 5 and no comprehensive proposal has been provided for Unit 325. The proposal that the County provided on Dec. 5 did not in any way address the critical recruitment and retention issues we have elevated. We offered mediation as a last effort to reach resolution prior to a strike.”
“The County caused this scheduled strike by failing to take their bargaining obligation seriously. Instead of exchanging proposals, listening to the concerns of selfless healthcare professionals, and working together to improve the healthcare system, the County has taken a dismissive approach that negatively impacts members of the Los Angeles community who rely on the services that UAPD members provide,” said Ardalan “Ardy” Raghian, counsel for UAPD. “The County has been performing a prolonged and frustrating two-year charade, engaging in bad faith conduct and wasting the time and patience of doctors, psychiatrists, and veterinarians. This strike serves as a wake-up call. Enough with the obstructionist tactics, enough with ignoring proposals. Enough with rejecting proposals by simply saying “we’re not interested in it” with no explanation. Enough with reneging on tentative agreements. And enough with County management's condescending attitude toward the healthcare issues that these altruistic heroes are raising.”