Thousands strike University of California hospitals

LOS ANGELES – Thousands of University of California medical workers are walking off the job in a contract dispute that has prompted the rescheduling of surgeries and thousands of outpatient appointments.

The three-day strike that begins Tuesday targets five UC hospitals in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Irvine and Davis, along with clinics, campuses and research facilities.

The union says 15,000 radiology technicians, pharmacists and other workers — but not nurses — are striking. About 24,000 other workers, including truck drivers and cooks, are walking in sympathy.

A similar strike in May brought out 53,000 strikers.

Hospitals have hired hundreds of temporary replacements and rescheduled appointments. The UC San Francisco hospital also has rescheduled nearly 240 surgeries.

The main issue is outsourcing. The union says its workers are being displaced by low-paid contractors.