Employees protest layoffs, accuse UCSD Health of prioritizing ‘executive paychecks’ over health

Protesters picket at the UCSD Wellbeing La Jolla Campus on Thursday Photo by James Miller Times of San Diego Around healthcare workers members of their families and union organizers picketed and held a press conference at the UCSD Physical condition campus in La Jolla Thursday Speakers criticized UCSD Healthcare executives demanding they rescind the June layoff of more than employees including registered nurses According to emcee Michael Kennedy the chief nurse representative at UCSD Fitness for the California Nurses Association layoffs cannot be blamed on budget constraints because UCSD Wellness has spent nearly million on hospital acquisitions and expansions since Of the plus employees in the UCSD Wellbeing system more than are nurses according to the union In a comment UCSD Fitness mentioned the decision to lay off company members came after a review focused on safety and operational sustainability and was very intricate We did not arrive at that decision lightly or speedily the message says Kennedy and other speakers expressed their anger at UCSD Vitality executives salary increases We will not stand by while UCSD gambles with residents physical condition to protect executive paychecks Kennedy commented Michael Kennedy speaking Thursday at a press conference in sponsorship of healthcare employees of late laid off by UCSD Healthcare Photo by James Miller Times of San Diego UC System President Michael Drake revealed June that all UC faculty and staff who are not union members would receive the salary increase According to population payroll details UCSD Healthcare CEO Patty Maysent received more than million dollars in compensation in The employees who were laid off had an average salary of according to Candy Stangler a former nursing assistant who worked in a postpartum unit Stangler is pregnant and commented she determined out she was laid off during her third trimester appointment Two days later she no longer had insurance I m now due in days and I don t know how I m going to pay for the birth of my baby Stangler explained Nurse Tiffany Duong announced she was speaking on behalf of nurses at UCSD Soundness s Hillcrest location who work with patients undergoing surgery According to Duong these nurses workload has at least doubled since all of Hillcrest s nurse navigators were laid off She announced nurse navigators are responsible for calling patients preparing them for surgery and explaining medications Without them Duong declared it has taken longer getting patients into surgery That process should not be rushed Duong reported There s a substantial jeopardy for error and a possible for recipient harm