Natividad clinic doctors stage a half-day strike in the wake of the firing of one of their own.

Concerned that cuts to prenatal care, among other changes at Alisal Health Center, for the Monterey County Health Clinic at Natividad, would negatively impact patient care, Dr. Cris Carrillo and his colleagues began meeting with management. Finally, they met on Oct. 10 with a member of the Natividad Board of Trustees to plead their case, and thought they’d made progress. On Oct. 11, Carrillo arrived at work, only to be met with a letter of termination. He was escorted out of the building.

Carrillo and his fellow physicians employed by the County are at-will employees, which means they can be terminated at any time. In February the physicians voted to unionize with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. Negotiations for a contract that includes employment protections are ongoing.

Carrillo’s firing proved to be a tipping point. The UAPD filed a complaint with the California Public Employment Relations Board contending the termination was illegal, and asking the board for injunctive relief for a speedier decision. On Tuesday, Nov. 12, the union went a step further by staging a half-day strike outside of the Monterey County Health Department offices in Salinas. About 50 employees and their supporters lined Natividad Road holding signs and chanting.

“We believe the county’s intent in silencing [Carrillo] was to silence everybody else, to send a message,” says Tim Jenkins, a UAPD senior representative. “Yes, we want him to go back to work, we want his 700 patients to have a doctor again, but more importantly, big picture, we want doctors to be able to speak up if things are not right.”

The county issued statements that clinics were open during the strike and that there were no interruptions at Natividad hospital.

“The County remains committed to negotiating in good faith and reaching an agreement on a foundational contract that addresses both the Union’s concerns while balancing the fiscal constraints and operational needs of the County,” one statement said.