A crowd of 50 people and their pets rallied outside the VCA San Francisco Veterinary Specialists on Sept 27 in support of their newly formed union affiliated with the ILWU. The union vote marked the first time a group of veterinary workers in the country formed an ILWU-affiliated union. Union members and community supporters formed a picket line outside the animal hospital, demanding accountability and better work conditions.
Workers at VCA are fighting back against unfair work practices and poor working conditions. Union members spoke about how they are frequently short staffed and not able to get by on the wages they make.
Raven has worked at the company for 16 years, and witnessed the deterioration of work conditions over time, especially after VCA’s purchase by a massive corporation. “We felt the union was the only way to address the issues of poor working conditions, a lack of training resources for new hires, and the need to retain experienced staff.”
Negotiations for a better contract began in May, but the company has attempted to fear-monger among its workers and isolate union members. They even set up an email hotline for workers to target workplace conditions, all in an effort to undermine the union. “Where was this email hotline before we had a union?” asked Raven.
SF Supervisor Hilary Ronen also attended the rally, and spoke in support of the ILWU-affiliated union and their struggle for better wages.
