SANTA MONICA – For Minerva Aquino, who has worked at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center for 27 years and been a union member since 2003, this strike is nothing new – it’s her fourth so far, she said. While many people now only work at UCLA before moving on to better-paying institutions, Aquino – a clinical care partner – said she has stayed because she loves what she does.

In addition to better wages, Aquino said she hopes UCLA will reassess patient-carer ratios. When carers have to take on 10 patients, for example, that environment is not safe for the carer or the patient, she said – adding that she and her family all receive their health care at UCLA.

She added that as the cost of living ramps up, she has managed to stay at the Santa Monica hospital because of union negotiations.