Latest news with #BillKisliuk
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Union presses California's key bird flu testing lab for records
The union representing workers at a UC Davis lab that tests and tracks bird flu infections in livestock has sued the university, demanding that records showing staffing levels and other information about the lab's operations be released to the public. Workers in the lab's small biotechnology department had raised concerns late last year about short staffing and potentially bungled testing procedures as cases of avian flu spread through millions of birds in turkey farms and chicken and egg-laying facilities, as well as through the state's cattle herds. The University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA Local 9119 said that it requested records in December 2024 in an attempt to understand whether the lab was able to properly service the state's agribusiness. But UC Davis has refused to release records, in violation of California's public records laws, the union alleged in a lawsuit recently filed in Alameda County Superior Court. Read more: With bird flu cases on the rise, staff at California lab say they are overworked and burned out UC Davis spokesperson Bill Kisliuk declined to comment on the lawsuit's specific allegations. "The university looks forward to filing our response in court. We are grateful for the outstanding work of the CAHFS lab staff, including UPTE-represented workers, during the 2024 surge in avian flu testing," Kisliuk said in an email. UC Davis has previously denied that workplace issues have left the lab ill-equipped to handle bird flu testing. Kisliuk had said the facility 'maintained the supervision, staffing and resources necessary to provide timely and vital health and safety information to those asking us to perform tests." According to copies of email correspondence cited in the lawsuit, UC Davis in January denied the union's request for records regarding short staffing or testing errors, calling the request "unduly burdensome." It also denied its request for information about farms and other businesses that had samples tested at the lab, citing an exemption to protect from an "invasion of personal privacy." Workers at the lab had previously told The Times that they observed lapses in quality assurance procedures, as well as other mistakes in the testing process. Amy Fletcher, a UC Davis employee and president of the union's Davis chapter, said the records would provide a necessary window into how staffing levels could be hurting farms and other businesses that rely on the lab for testing. Fletcher said workers have become afraid to speak about problems at the lab, having been warned by management that the some information related to testing is confidential. The Davis lab is the only entity in the state with the authority to confirm bird flu cases. The union, known as UPTE, represents about 20,000 researchers and other technical workers across the University of California system's 10 campuses. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
13 hours ago
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Union presses California's key bird flu testing lab for records
The union representing workers at a UC Davis lab that tests and tracks bird flu infections in livestock has sued the university, demanding that records showing staffing levels and other information about the lab's operations be released to the public. Workers in the lab's small biotechnology department had raised concerns late last year about short staffing and potentially bungled testing procedures as cases of avian flu spread through millions of birds in turkey farms and chicken and egg-laying facilities, as well as through the state's cattle herds. The University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA Local 9119 said that it requested records in December 2024 in an attempt to understand whether the lab was able to properly service the state's agribusiness. But UC Davis has refused to release records, in violation of California's public records laws, the union alleged in a lawsuit recently filed in Alameda County Superior Court. UC Davis spokesperson Bill Kisliuk declined to comment on the lawsuit's specific allegations. 'The university looks forward to filing our response in court. We are grateful for the outstanding work of the CAHFS lab staff, including UPTE-represented workers, during the 2024 surge in avian flu testing,' Kisliuk said in an email. UC Davis has previously denied that workplace issues have left the lab ill-equipped to handle bird flu testing. Kisliuk had said the facility 'maintained the supervision, staffing and resources necessary to provide timely and vital health and safety information to those asking us to perform tests.' According to copies of email correspondence cited in the lawsuit, UC Davis in January denied the union's request for records regarding short staffing or testing errors, calling the request 'unduly burdensome.' It also denied its request for information about farms and other businesses that had samples tested at the lab, citing an exemption to protect from an 'invasion of personal privacy.' Workers at the lab had previously told The Times that they observed lapses in quality assurance procedures, as well as other mistakes in the testing process. Amy Fletcher, a UC Davis employee and president of the union's Davis chapter, said the records would provide a necessary window into how staffing levels could be hurting farms and other businesses that rely on the lab for testing. Fletcher said workers have become afraid to speak about problems at the lab, having been warned by management that the some information related to testing is confidential. The Davis lab is the only entity in the state with the authority to confirm bird flu cases. The union, known as UPTE, represents about 20,000 researchers and other technical workers across the University of California system's 10 campuses.
Reuters
26-02-2025
- Health
- Reuters
California lab sends some bird flu tests out of state during outbreak as workers strike
Feb 26 (Reuters) - California's only lab that can confirm lethal bird flu in poultry is shifting some testing to facilities out of state due to a workers' strike, but does not expect testing delays, the University of California said on Wednesday. The broader strike of University of California healthcare, research and technical employees is slated to last from Wednesday to Friday as they protest low staffing levels and other concerns, according to the University Professional and Technical Employees union that represents them. Among those striking are workers from the California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab, which detects H5N1 bird flu in poultry and cattle at UC-Davis. Their walkout highlights how the worst-ever U.S. outbreak of bird flu has strained a range of people from lab technicians to poultry farmers and consumers. Millions of egg-laying hens in California have died from bird flu or been culled to contain the virus in recent months, contributing to a national egg shortage that pushed prices to record highs. The most populous state and biggest U.S. milk producer has also been the epicenter of outbreaks in dairy cows. UC-Davis does not expect delays in bird flu testing from the strike, and it had three staff members processing samples in the lab on Wednesday, spokesperson Bill Kisliuk said. The lab is part of a national network of facilities approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that are designed to handle surges in testing demand. Some H5N1 testing is being sent to labs in other states that are in the network, including tests for already-infected farms, Kisliuk said. Such tests are considered to be lower priority than new outbreaks in poultry, he added. The university also reallocated testing for additional foreign animal diseases to other labs, Kisliuk said. The lab normally aims to test samples for bird flu within 24 hours, but some sat for a week or more at times last year due to short staffing levels, said Alyssa Laxamana, a lab diagnostician who went on strike. Delayed confirmation of outbreaks could allow the virus to spread to other farms, she said. "It's really stressful, especially because I know how important our work is to California and the food chain," said Laxamana, 25. Since the H5N1 virus was first detected in cattle in California in August, the lab has tested 400 to 2,000 samples per week for bird flu in cows and poultry, according to the university. The university said it added staff to the lab since workers left last year and also uses staff from other labs. USDA said its animal health laboratory network office is in close contact with California's lab and ready to support it if necessary. California's Department of Food and Agriculture does not anticipate the strike will impact operations, spokesperson Steve Lyle said.
