UPTE-CWA Demands Safety and Transparency After Member’s Murder

Last week, UPTE-CWA Local 9119 members held a vigil to honor their colleague who was stabbed and killed while working at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

Workers have repeatedly raised concerns about the absence of basic safety infrastructure at the hospital, including a lack of metal detectors or equivalent screening procedures, inconsistent security presence, and no standardized protocols for high-risk patients or regular safety huddles. In the wake of this tragedy, UPTE-CWA is demanding immediate changes, including a safety plan, minimum staffing and caseload limits, and improvements to workplace violence prevention.

"No one should have to fear for their safety at work," said UPTE-CWA President Dan Russell in a statement. "Our members have long sounded the alarm about unsafe conditions and chronic understaffing that put them at risk every day, as they serve as the social workers and behavioral health clinicians on the front lines of the city's mental health crisis."

Friends and colleagues created a memorial at a vigil to honor an UPTE-CWA member who was killed while working at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.