‘The public deserves to know’: UCSF employees are fighting back after facility bars them from using on-site parking — why they say it puts both their safety and financial security at risk

New employee parking rules at UCSF

UCSF announced the new parking rules to employees via email, essentially eliminating on-campus parking for employees. Instead, employees must park off-site and take a shuttle bus to the hospital for the last leg of their commute.

“UCSF is implementing changes to staff parking to make more space available for patients and visitors, so they can get to appointments on time and receive the care they need,” a UCSF spokesperson said in a statement to ABC 7 News.

While the organization is making the changes with patients in mind, the impacted employees are incensed.

For starters, the new rules mean longer commutes for some.

"My hour drive would essentially be an hour and a half drive to go from Petaluma, California to San Francisco," said nurse Andrew Kovalcheck.

Additionally, many have safety concerns about getting to their vehicles after work.

"The lot in Japantown, people have these huge safety concerns regarding leaving their car parked there, and even walking to and from the garage," said nurse Holly Bannister.

With mounting concerns, the California Nurses Association started a petition. A few of the cited issues include undue hardships for families with pre-scheduled child care, no safety guidelines for night shift workers, and no guidelines for on-call workers.

As a solution, UCSF “is offering new offsite parking at $99 per month — less than half the cost of on-campus rates — at three locations with a 5- to 15-minute free shuttle ride to campus,” according to a statement.

Additionally, the organization is partnering with an Uber shuttle bus system to help employees get to Mission Bay. For many, these options aren’t adequate. But, as of writing, UCSF seems to have no plans to make additional concessions.

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Hidden costs can add up

The parking changes aren’t simply an inconvenience. These changes can add up to a significant financial hit, especially for lower-wage and frontline employees.

While it’s not fully clear what staff are paying for parking presently and if any employees are benefitting from free parking, the new parking rate, when combined with longer commute time, may still impact employees financially.

If any staff are not paying for parking now, then an additional $99 per month for off-site parking would more severely impact workers earning less, as it’s a bigger slice of their income.

For example, for those earning $45,000–$60,000 per year, a $99 per month parking expense is a far more significant share of income than it would be for someone earning $300,000 annually.

For some, the commuter shuttle systems around the area could represent a more affordable option. But the catch is that it will likely take longer to get to work — and for some this may mean additional logistics and childcare costs. Additionally, spending more time getting to work effectively lowers your hourly wage.

For example, let’s say you currently spend one hour getting to and from work each day. If you add in a 30-minute shuttle ride both ways, your daily commuting time jumps to two hours. Unless you receive a raise, you’ll spend more time on work-related activities and receive less compensation per hour.

In order to limit the impact of this change on your budget, look for any pre-tax commuter benefits offered by your employer. Some companies allow you to use some pre-tax money to cover certain parking and transit costs.

UCSF does offer this perk, but you’ll likely need to do some paperwork to sign up. If this applies to you, get in touch with your Human Resources department to get started.

Carpooling to work with coworkers can also help cut back on costs and increase safety. In addition to gas, you can split the parking expenses with your carpool.

Notably, UCSF didn’t include any information about parking for night shift workers. If parking remains available after visiting hours, switching shifts may be the only way to address parking problems (though, understandably, this may be difficult to do depending on how many others are pursuing the same changes and on each individual’s availability).

For some, avoiding peak hours when parking may be most expensive and hardest to come by is another approach.

As you navigate these changes, consider tracking your commuting costs with a budgeting app. With a clear picture of what you are spending, you can decide what cuts or changes make sense for your unique situation, and whether you may need to explore employment opportunities elsewhere.