Union presses California's key bird flu testing lab for records

The national representing workers astatine a UC Davis laboratory that tests and tracks vertebrate flu infections successful livestock has sued the university, demanding that records showing staffing levels and different accusation astir the lab’s operations beryllium released to the public.

Workers successful the lab’s tiny biotechnology section had raised concerns precocious past twelvemonth astir abbreviated staffing and perchance bungled investigating procedures arsenic cases of avian flu dispersed done millions of birds successful turkey farms and chickenhearted and egg-laying facilities, arsenic good arsenic done the state’s cattle herds.

The University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA Local 9119 said that it requested records successful December 2024 successful an effort to recognize whether the laboratory was capable to decently work the state’s agribusiness.

But UC Davis has refused to merchandise records, successful usurpation of California’s nationalist records laws, the national alleged successful a suit precocious filed successful Alameda County Superior Court.

UC Davis spokesperson Bill Kisliuk declined to remark connected the lawsuit’s circumstantial allegations.

“The assemblage looks guardant to filing our effect successful court. We are grateful for the outstanding enactment of the CAHFS laboratory staff, including UPTE-represented workers, during the 2024 surge successful avian flu testing,” Kisliuk said successful an email.

UC Davis has antecedently denied that workplace issues person near the laboratory ill-equipped to grip vertebrate flu testing. Kisliuk had said the installation “maintained the supervision, staffing and resources indispensable to supply timely and captious wellness and information accusation to those asking america to execute tests.”

According to copies of email correspondence cited successful the lawsuit, UC Davis successful January denied the union’s petition for records regarding abbreviated staffing oregon investigating errors, calling the petition “unduly burdensome.” It besides denied its petition for accusation astir farms and different businesses that had samples tested astatine the lab, citing an exemption to support from an “invasion of idiosyncratic privacy.”

Workers astatine the laboratory had antecedently told The Times that they observed lapses successful prime assurance procedures, arsenic good arsenic different mistakes successful the investigating process.

Amy Fletcher, a UC Davis worker and president of the union’s Davis chapter, said the records would supply a indispensable model into however staffing levels could beryllium hurting farms and different businesses that trust connected the laboratory for testing. Fletcher said workers person go acrophobic to talk astir problems astatine the lab, having been warned by absorption that the immoderate accusation related to investigating is confidential.

The Davis laboratory is the lone entity successful the authorities with the authorization to corroborate vertebrate flu cases.

The union, known arsenic UPTE, represents astir 20,000 researchers and different method workers crossed the University of California system’s 10 campuses.