Negotiations lead Medical Center to specialize, narrow workers’ duties

By Hemesh Patel
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

With pressure from the American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees union, the human resources department at the
Medical Center launched a new deployment program.

Previous protests and ongoing talks regarding the state of work
for hospital staff have led to an improvement in patient care,
according to officials in human resources department.

But hospital workers say they are still performing too many
duties.

Mark Speare, senior associate director of UCLA health systems
and patient relations, said the change in the specific tasks of
unit service associates was implemented Sept. 4.

In the past, USAs were responsible for various tasks, including
cleaning rooms, running the pharmacy and patient escort. Now their
duties are more specialized in a particular task.

“The title (of USA) still exists but the duties have
changed,” Speare said.

While Speare estimates that 10 percent of the USAs former tasks
have been cut, members and organizers of the staff’s union
say the figure is closer to 5 percent.

Luu Doan, an organizer for AFSCME, said USAs who are responsible
for only cleaning now have double the responsibility.

Adul Pathomsakul, a hospital staffer responsible for cleaning
parts of the hospital said he is doing too much work for one
person.

“Before I worked one unit,” he said. “Now
I’m responsible for two. We could clean a lot better with one
unit.”

Pathomsakul, who has been with the hospital for three years,
said he is doing more work than he has ever done in the past at the
Medical Center.

Speare said the human resources department opened up 20 more
positions and has made no job cutbacks.

“If a USA is assigned to housekeeping, for example, he or
she is expected to do the corresponding amount of work they did in
the past,” Speare said.

Meanwhile, the union plans to continue fighting until the level
of staffing and pay is improved, said Jose Hernandez, the
union’s lead organizer.