Kaiser Permanente healthcare strike could disrupt vaccine and prescription access

The Kaiser strike is expected to span three days, as healthcare workers join picket lines across the country to protest staffing shortages

75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers are officially on strike

The largest health worker strike went into effect on Wednesday morning, as an agreement between 75,000 healthcare workers and Kaiser Permanente hospitals has yet to be reached.

The strike began on 4 October at 6am PT as the workers — nurses, radiology technicians, pharmacists, sonographers and others — are striking “to protest unfair labor practices and unsafe staffing levels,” according to the latest release from SEIU-UHW, a union that is part of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.

The strike will take place across the country in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington DC and is expected to last three days.

The strike comes after failed negotiations following the workers’ contract expiring on 30 September.

Early on Wednesday, Kaiser Permanente also issued a statement on the progress, saying the two parties are “still at the bargaining table, having worked through the night in an effort to reach an agreement. There has been a lot of progress, with agreements reached on several specific proposals late Tuesday.”

But the coalition was singing to a different tune. “No agreement can be made until Kaiser executives stop bargaining in bad faith and committing unfair labor practices,” said, Caroline Lucas, executive director of the coalition.

The jury is still out on the exact effects the walkout has on patient care, although reports predict vaccine access, prescriptions being filled, and lab testing could be disrupted.

Key Points

• What is the strike about?
• Who is going on strike at Kaiser Permanente?
• When is the Kaiser strike and when does it end?

[4 October 2023 19:00 · Kelly Rissman]

ICYMI: the details of when, where and why 75,000 workers are striking

The strike began on 4 October at 6am PT as the workers — nurses, radiology technicians, pharmacists, sonographers and others — are striking “to protest unfair labor practices and unsafe staffing levels,” according to the latest release from SEIU-UHW, a union that is part of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.

The strike will take place across the country in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington DC. It’s expected to span three days. The workers’ contract expired on 30 September and new contract negotiations are ongoing.

[4 October 2023 19:15 · Kelly Rissman]

Congresswoman Cori Bush supports the strike

[4 October 2023 19:30 · Kelly Rissman]

Pictures from the picket line

[4 October 2023 20:00 · Kelly Rissman]

What are the healthcare workers seeking?

The number one priority is addressing short staffing.

In a 5 September letter, the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Union urged the hospital system to view the staffing shortage as “the patient emergency that it is.”

The letter said that Kaiser Permanente is facing “record attrition” and 30,000 vacancies. This shortage is leading to increased patient wait times and an exacerbated strain on healthcare workers, which only “accelerates the exodus from the field,” the coalition wrote.

On 30 September — the date of the contract expiration — the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions explained that the strike was over “unfair labour practices” and argued that the hospital system is engaging in “bad faith” bargaining.

The coalition wrote a list of demands, outlining that they are looking for across-the-board wage increases, protections against outsourcing, the right to unionise a system that Kaiser acquires, and better benefits.

In August, unions representing Kaiser workers asked for a $25 hourly minimum wage, with pay increases over time.

[4 October 2023 20:30 · Kelly Rissman]

The latest from Kaiser

Both Kaiser Permanente management and Coalition union representatives are still at the bargaining table, having worked through the night in an effort to reach an agreement. There has been a lot of progress, with agreements reached on several specific proposals late Tuesday.

We remain committed to reaching a new agreement that continues to provide our employees with market-leading wages, excellent benefits, generous retirement income plans, and valuable professional development opportunities.

[4 October 2023 21:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Bernie Sanders supports those on strike

[4 October 2023 21:15 · Kelly Rissman]

Colorado Sen Michael Bennet also supported healthcare workers in his state on strike

[4 October 2023 21:30 · Kelly Rissman]

“Our patients need more staff”

[4 October 2023 22:00 · Kelly Rissman]

A Kaiser employee accused the healthcare giant of not reaching a deal due to executives’ ‘greed’

Tami Chew said that Kaiser executives chose to close many of the member service offices in California and opted against hiring more workers “because of their greed.”

She pointed to the hospital system’s finances for the first half of 2023. Kaiser Permanente announced in its releases that over the course of the first two quarters, it has earned a net income of $3.2bn. “So they need to come to the table and bargain in good faith and that’s what we’re asking,” Ms Chew said.

Read the full story on what led to the strike

[4 October 2023 23:00 · Kelly Rissman]

A cardiac monitor on the pulse of the negotiations