South Bay Public Medical Workers Planning Strike Over Contract Talks

As transit workers in the South Bay continue their historic strike for a fifth straight day, a unionized group of Santa Clara County medical employees is threatening a work stoppage of their own later this month.

Hundreds of workers represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20 say they plan to hold an unfair labor practice strike from March 24 through 26 to push back against what they call “bad faith” negotiating by the county during long-running contract talks.

The union includes clinical lab scientists, microbiologists and medical lab technicians who work at the Santa Clara County-run Valley Medical Center and O’Connor Hospital in San José, as well as St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, and county public health labs.

“Our members have given us the mandate to insist on good faith bargaining so we can continue to deliver quality patient care and reject the County’s effort to forcibly waive our rights,” Jaspal Sandhu, a clinical lab scientist at Valley Medical, said in a statement from the union.

Sandhu is also a member of the negotiating team for the workers. “We remain committed to working towards reaching a fair agreement but will strike if necessary to try to put an end to the county’s bad faith,” he said.

The union has been negotiating with the county for their next contract since July 2024, and their previous contract expired in September.

The union alleges the county has refused to explain its proposals asking union members to give up the right to future negotiations over working conditions and the right to “take collective action to improve patient care,” the statement from the union said.

The union also said the county has threatened “to unilaterally impose these waivers of rights in violation of the law.”

Santa Clara County, in a statement to KQED, said it is committed to finalizing a contract with the union that is fair for the workers, the county and its residents.

“Reaching a financially sustainable agreement is critical given the current financial challenges facing local governments,” the statement said.

The two sides were having mediated negotiations on Friday, but it’s unclear if a deal is expected to be reached soon.

The county said its health care system “will make the necessary preparations to ensure that all critical lab work can proceed so that our patients can receive the compassionate and critical care that they need” in the event of a strike.

Joana Santos, a clinical lab scientist at St. Louise, said in the union statement that the county’s proposals could put “patient safety at risk by allowing managers to move workers between highly specialized worksites without their input.”

“Our patients deserve better, for they trust us with our health,” Santos said.