Kaiser Permanent workers picket Thursday, Oct. The coalition has instead asked for roughly a 6.5% increase in the first two years of a contract and a 5.75% increase in the final two years. During the ongoing contract negotiations, the company has discussed with union employees across-the-board wage increases, including possible raises between 3% and 4% in the next four years. Kaiser Permanente has argued it is a leader in pay. “So, their best choice is to be Monday through Friday in their cars.” One, they can’t afford the cost of living here, so they have to move two, three hours (away), and then because of short staff, they’re working 14, 16 hours, so they’re tired,” Chacon said on Wednesday, the first day of the strike. “As we speak, there are nurses that are sleeping in their cars because of two reasons. Rocio Chacon, a striking Kaiser worker on the union’s negotiating committee, told CNN that many employees cannot afford to live in the cities where they work due to the rising cost of living, and some workers resort to sleeping in their cars. Nearly 200 employees from Kaiser Permanente facilities in Virginia and Washington, DC, also went on strike for one day on Wednesday.Īt issue, the Kaiser Permanente coalition of unions said, are concerns, exacerbated by the pandemic, related to “unsafe” staffing levels and pay that hasn’t kept up with skyrocketing rent and gas prices. The strike took place across California, Colorado, Washington and Oregon. Where do negotiations between Kaiser Permanente and the unions stand? We are deeply appreciative of our members for their patience for the last three days.” Our members can find out the hours of operation of facilities near them by visiting our website, KP.org. That will be different in differing locations. “With the current strike behind us as of 6 am Saturday, our collective focus is a return to normal operations. “We are pleased to welcome back our employees who participated in this week’s strike,” Kaiser Permanente said in a statement issued Saturday. This week’s work stoppage was the first-ever national strike effort at Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health plans. In the wake of the pandemic, health care workers, in particular, have been fighting for safer work environments. The looming threat of an additional work stoppage comes at a time of intensifying strike activity across the United States, with tens of thousands of workers across multiple industries taking to picket lines for better pay and benefits. The union hasn’t shared specific details about a strike, though. Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West union (SEIU-UHW) the largest union in the coalition, has also promised a “longer, stronger” strike when an employment contract for additional workers in Washington state expires on October 31. Last week, Biden became the first sitting president to join a picket line when he visited striking United Auto Workers members in Michigan.Īlthough the unions and Kaiser have scheduled bargaining sessions for the end of next week, the coalition of unions said it could issue a 10-day warning after Saturday that could kick off another round of strikes in a couple weeks “if Kaiser executives continue to commit unfair labor practices and bargain in bad faith.” We are glad to see the parties going back to the bargaining table.” “As and the acting secretary have said, collective bargaining works, even when it takes time. Su “will be present to assist the parties in advancing talks towards a fair contract for this critical workforce,” according to the statement. “Frontline healthcare workers remain ready to continue taking the necessary steps to protect our patients from the dangers of the Kaiser short staffing crisis and to defend our rights.”Īcting Labor Secretary Julie Su, who traveled to California earlier this week to meet with both parties, will be on hand for Thursday’s negotiations, the Labor Department told CNN in a statement. “Following this historic work action by tens of thousands of frontline healthcare workers in response to unfair labor practices by Kaiser executives, we are hopeful that the company will refrain from any further violations of federal labor laws as we resume formal talks on Thursday,” Georgette Bradford, a Sacramento, California-based Kaiser ultrasound technician and union member, said in a statement issued late Friday by the coalition. Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers rally outside Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.
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