SAN FRANCISO, California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) security guards and striking union workers clashed Oct. 12 as the 32-day-old labor dispute grew more acrimonious.
According to Bay City News, striking workers confronted a bus of replacement workers, triggering a pushing and shoving confrontation with security guards.
According to the United Healthcare Workers-West union, the organization was slated to gather Oct. 13 to protest what it considers to be violent harassment by the guards.
“Union members at CPMC are predominantly women and people of color, and we deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” says Helen York-Jones, a dietary aide for CPMC. “We are going to send a clear message that this type of behavior is unacceptable.”
CPMC officials claim that the strikers were the ones responsible for the picket line’s heightened tensions. According to a CPMC spokeswoman, the strikers have beaten on patients’ cars, spit in their faces and have been aggressive with other employees.
