SANTA MONICA – German Gil, a pharmacy technician who has worked at the UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center for five years, said he became involved with the union in March to learn about his employee rights. He added that employees have been leaving the Santa Monica hospital because UCLA is not providing competitive offers in comparison to other institutions in Los Angeles.

“We just want the respect. If they’re able to provide all these incentives to the executives and to their chancellors and to management, why can’t they take care of us?” Gil said.

Some issues that Santa Monica hospital employees have faced include having to pay for parking at the hospital and living two or three hours away because of the high cost of living, he said. Gil added that he hopes the UC will agree to a deal so that he can go back to taking care of his patients as soon as possible.

“My husband and I adopted a beautiful boy,” he said. “I am here fighting for my husband and for my son’s future.”

(Anna Dai-Liu/Daily Bruin senior staff)