As the ongoing LA County fires have raged, hundreds of Teamsters workers at UCLA Health have been negatively affected by evacuations, air quality, power outages, and more—15 Teamsters workers have even lost their homes. But despite the severity of this disaster, which has killed dozens and destroyed thousands of structures, UCLA Health has provided support for only some workers while many others have been forced to take leave without pay. We demand that UCLA Health support all workers affected by this crisis and provide the paid leave Teamsters workers need!

UCLA Health’s response to this disaster has been unorganized, unreliable and unpredictable. Under UCLA policy, workers can access three days of paid emergency administrative leave—or more, at management's discretion. Many managers have refused to approve further paid leave even as workers have been forced to evacuate their homes for days a time, have been unable to work due to dangerous levels of unhealthy air, or have lost their homes entirely:

• Teamsters living in temporary accommodations following the destruction of their homes have been forced to go without pay after exhausting their three days of leave and accrued vacation and sick time.
• Workers at clinics closed by evacuation order or power outages have been forced to travel long distances to other UCLA clinics—those that are unable to report to these new clinics must use vacation time or go without pay.
• Workers who have been without power at home for days are told to report to work, use vacation, or go without pay—without even the option of the minimum three days' admin pay.

This mistreatment of UCLA Health workers must stop!

We, Teamsters and allies, demand that UCLA Health support Teamsters and their families by allowing workers to extend the minimum three days of paid administrative leave, as provided by existing UCLA policy. Don’t allow managers to punish hard-working Teamsters who have been affected by one of the worst natural disasters in California history!