Monica Martinez, a clinical care partner at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and the vice president for the patient care bargaining unit of AFSCME Local 3299, said she has worked at the hospital for 25 years. Martinez added that she rents a room from her son due to low wages and a lack of housing affordability.

“If I have a job – a full-time job – I should be able to pay rent, pay my basic bills, be able to buy food,” Martinez said. “I’m not talking about entertainment or vacations or luxuries.”