UPTE-CWA Members Protest Abrupt Layoffs

Last week, members of UPTE-CWA Local 9119 mobilized in support of twenty colleagues abruptly laid off by the University of California (UC). Those laid off include staff research associates, chemists, biologists, and animal health technicians working at the UC’s Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, where they advanced drug discovery and treatments for fatal diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), and prion diseases.

UPTE-CWA members held last week’s protest outside the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, where UC San Francisco Chancellor Sam Hawgood was scheduled to attend a high-profile dinner celebrating the 10th anniversary of the UC San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences. They handed out flyers to well-heeled attendees detailing the union’s concerns about neurodegenerative disease research and critical understaffing.

"We are encouraged that Chancellor Hawgood has agreed to meet with us personally. We hope he will take direct responsibility for bringing critical Alzheimer's researchers back to work," said Matias Campos, UCSF Pharmacist and Executive Vice President of UPTE-CWA Local 9119.

The layoffs come on the heels of a 40% budget cut by the department and a decision by UC to pivot fully to Parkinson's research at the expense of Alzheimer’s and prion disease research. According to the Cleveland Clinic, an estimated 50 million people globally are suffering from a neurodegenerative disease.

Over the last 17 months, UPTE-CWA members have engaged in three statewide unfair labor practice strikes calling out the UC administration. UPTE-CWA members recently voted to engage in longer strike actions if necessary. Members remain determined to bargain a fair contract to protect themselves, their research, and their patients.

 
Members of UPTE-CWA Local 9119 held a protest against the abrupt layoff of twenty researchers and veterinary technicians at the UC’s Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.