A large strike by Kaiser Permanente employees is set to begin Monday morning, with union leaders calling it an open-ended “unfair labor practice strike.”
A large strike by Kaiser Permanente employees is set to begin Monday morning, with union leaders calling it an open-ended "unfair labor practice strike."The unions involved include the United Nurses Associations of California and the Union of Health care Professionals.
Together, they represent about 30,000 Kaiser employees across California and Hawaii, including registered nurses, lab professionals, nurse midwives, physical therapists and physician assistants. The workers make up about 3% of Kaiser employees in Northern California.Picketing is expected to begin at 7 a.m. in Oakland and at other Kaiser facilities across the state, including Roseville and Santa Clara.Union leaders say the strike is driven by what they describe as a growing crisis caused by Kaiser’s failure to invest in safe staffing levels, timely access to quality care and fair wages for frontline workers. The two sides have been bargaining for seven months in an effort to reach a contract agreement.Kaiser said its hospitals, emergency rooms and nearly all medical offices will remain open during the strike, though some appointments may be shifted to virtual care. The company said it has employees ready to step in.In a statement, a Kaiser representative said the strike comes at a time when healthcare costs are rising and millions of Americans are at risk of losing health insurance. The statement said, "This underscores our responsibility to deliver fair, competitive pay for employees while protecting access and affordability for our members. We’re doing both."Kaiser also said alliance employees already earn an average of about 16% more than similar roles at other healthcare organizations, and 24% more in some markets. The company said its current proposal, which it described as the strongest compensation package in its national bargaining history, includes a 21.5% wage increase over the life of the contract, with 16% within the first two years.Nurses said the proposal is not enough.
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