The California employees, represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, claim they’re understaffed, underpaid and facing a host of other challenges while negotiations drag on.
If a strike occurs, it will affect scores of Kaiser hospitals and clinics, including 23 facilities in Southern California alone.“We take any threat to disrupt care for our members seriously and have comprehensive plans to ensure continued access to needed health care services, should a strike occur later this year,” Kaiser said.
The groundswell of worker unrest is centered around several issues. Kaiser union members allege severe understaffing but say the healthcare chain has further undermined the workplace by … —Slashing performance bonuses for frontline workers while paying top dollar to managers and executives who don’t directly interact with patients—Offering starting pay for certain entry-level positions that is not competitive with fast food and retail chains—Refusing to develop existing workforce and to train and recruit enough new employees to meet a projected workforce shortfall
Dave Regan, president of SEIU-UHW, said every one of the company’s proposals will make staffing problems worse and further delay patient care. “Kaiser has failed to bargain in good faith with the caregivers who are doing everything they can to protect patient safety,” Regan said. “We will simply not stand by as Kaiser violates the law and puts patients at risk.”
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