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By Arj Arjunan

Daily Bruin Contributor

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees tabled outside the Jules Stein Eye Institute on Wednesday as part of an ongoing effort to protest understaffing at the UCLA Medical Center.

Union organizers passed out flyers in front of the Medical Center and urged passersby to sign a petition addressed to Chancellor Albert Carnesale in support of the union.

The flyers displayed the results of an AFSCME survey circulated among union members on the hospital staff.

According to the survey, 68 percent of the employees are given work that is impossible to complete, and 49 percent said patient care has suffered due to short staffing.

AFSCME said it wanted to gain public attention because the Medical Center has not responded quickly enough.

The union has been meeting with hospital administrators over the last few weeks, but there has been little progress, said Kim Carter, an AFSCME organizer. She said the tabling that went on Wednesday was the only wayto get the hospital's attention.

"I think the tabling went really well," Carter said. "A lot of people participated because they want to provide the best care for patients."

Mark Speare, senior associate director for patient relations and human resources for the Medical Center, said the Medical Center has always maintained contact with the union. He also said the tabling would not affect negotiations.

"We've met face-to-face or talked over the phone with AFSCME at least a dozen times," Speare said. "I spoke with the statewide coordinator for AFSCME and agreed that we need to include AFSCME in the new model."

According to Speare, the Medical Center plans to implement a new model that will remove patient transport, supply distribution and care-related responsibilities from the general job description of USA staff. The hospital also plans to cut the existing number of full-time USAs from 101 to 90.

Speare said USA staff responsibilities will be more specialized, adding that the Medical Center is putting a training program in place for USAs interested in gaining promotions as patient care partners.

Ever Mazariegos, a patient care partner at the Santa Monica branch of the hospital, said gaining public attention offers a stronger bargaining position for AFSCME. He said a public protest in July forced the Medical Center to acknowledge the pay disparity between Santa Monica and Westwood staffs.

The issue of pay equity has been discussed for years, Speare said. He said the July tabling efforts did nothing to change the commitment of management to resolving the problem.