Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers in California and Hawaii went on strike Tuesday over pay, staffing levels and other contract issues.
Officials with the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals say 31,000 union members at more than 500 hospitals and clinics will walk off the job until Sunday morning in what they call the largest labor action in the union’s 50-year history.
UNAC/UHCP is a member of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, and if other affiliated unions join the strike, up to 46,000 Kaiser employees could ultimately take to the picket lines, according to union officials.
“Workers are going on strike after Kaiser executives have refused for months of negotiations to settle a fair contract that includes safe staffing, equitable pay and benefits, and a voice for frontline caregivers,” union officials said in a news release Monday.
The strike will include registered nurses, pharmacists, nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, midwives, physician assistants, rehab therapists, speech language pathologists, dietitians and others.
Hospital officials say the strike is unnecessary and disruptive, especially given that Kaiser workers represented by the Alliance earn, on average, 16 percent more than workers in similar jobs at other organizations.
“The Alliance began bargaining seeking a 38 percent wage increase over four years and now demands 25 percent — a figure out of step with today’s economic realities and rising health care costs,” said Lionel Sims, senior vice president for human resources at Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
“This would dramatically increase the current $6.3 billion annual payroll and lead to higher rates for members and customers, with serious market implications,” Sims said in an emailed statement. “Our 21.5 percent offer will increase payroll for this group by nearly $2 billion in total by 2029.”
Kaiser hospitals and medical offices will remain open during the strike with the help of up to 7,600 nurses, clinicians and other health care workers who are being brought in to take up critical jobs, Kaiser officials said.
The hospital is also shifting some appointments from in-person care to phone calls, video meetings and online chats. Also, some appointments, elective surgeries and procedures might need to be rescheduled.
The strike began at 7 a.m. Tuesday with the only Bay Area picket line being held at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center at 3600 and 3701 Broadway.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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