After Kaiser Permanente was unable to come to an agreement with a coalition of unions representing the healthcare workers of the company, over 75,000 workers are preparing to go on strike this week. The negotiations with the company were over unfair labor practices. This is now expected to be the largest healthcare worker strike in US history.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions is hoping to improve workers’ compensation and pension plans through their new contract as well as address various other issues including staffing shortages, protections against subcontracting and outsourcing and remote work cancellation policies.
The coalition also wants to ensure that patients continue to receive safe care throughout this time period while simultaneously recognizing that frontline healthcare workers are burning themselves out trying to cover gaps left by staff shortages.
In a statement, they said “Kaiser executives have the power to solve this problem. But, despite reporting more than $3 billion in profits in the first six months of this year, they are choosing not to”.
Right now Kaiser Permanente and union leaders are trying to avoid what would be the biggest healthcare strike in US history. Their contract just expired and there are still some outstanding issues. One union worker told me they just need more. pic.twitter.com/uOsVlJK5zm
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) October 1, 2023
Just hours prior to the expiration of their current contract with the union coalition on Saturday evening Pacific Time, Kaiser released a statement expressing optimism about reaching an agreement before any strikes were necessary: “We have contingency plans in place to ensure members continue to receive safe, high-quality care for the duration of the strike”.
However these contingency plans seem unlikely if there is no breakthrough in negotiations soon or if additional members join from Washington state at month’s end as mentioned by some union leaders during press conferences today.
Union leaders called upon Kaiser executives once again to do what’s right and accept their demands which include higher wages and improved benefits for all healthcare employees working under their umbrella across multiple states.
Still, Kaiser Permanente expresses optimism “that we will reach an agreement and avoid an unnecessary strike.”
