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?

[5 October 2023 22:30 · Kelly Rissman]

Have similar strikes happened before?

Burnout in the healthcare field has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic overwhelmed workers and overran facilities.

Last year, 15,000 members of the Minnesota Nurses Association went on strike for three days in the state over staffing shortages, pay, and safety concerns. Earlier this year, in another part of the country, roughly 7,000 members of the New York State Nurses Association went on strike over pay and staffing complaints.

[5 October 2023 23:00 · Kelly Rissman]

How does the strike affect patients?

Kaiser serves nearly 13 million patients, who will remain a “top priority” as the strike goes into effect, the statement said.

Kaiser hospitals will remain open even in the event of a strike. The hospital system explained, “Our facilities will continue to be staffed by our physicians, trained and experienced managers, and staff, and in some cases we will augment with contingent workers.”

Now, concerns that access to vaccines and prescriptions could be disrupted.

Read the full story here.

[6 October 2023 00:00 · Kelly Rissman]

The latest from the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions

Caroline Lucas, spokesperson for the coalition said in a statement:

Frontline healthcare workers are awaiting a meaningful response from Kaiser executives regarding some of our key priorities including safe staffing, outsourcing protections for incumbent healthcare workers, and fair wages to reduce turnover.

Healthcare workers within the coalition remain ready to meet at any time. Currently, the strike continues, and there are no sessions scheduled at this hour.

[6 October 2023 01:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Long Beach Mayor participated in the strike

[6 October 2023 02:00 · Kelly Rissman]

The latest from Kaiser Permanente

While we have not reached a contract settlement, we have been able to reach a number of tentative agreements in bargaining, and our offers to date address the unions’ priorities, including:

• Across-the-board wage increases in all markets over the next 4 years
• Updating the Performance Sharing Plan to include a minimum payout opportunity and potential for up to a $3,750 payout
• Offering minimum wages of $23/hour in California and $21/hour in markets outside of California
• Continuing and enhancing our existing excellent health benefits and retirement income plans
• Renewing our strong tuition assistance and training programs and increasing funding of the education trusts

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.

[6 October 2023 03:00 · Kelly Rissman]

What are other healthcare unions saying?

Catherine Kennedy, a resident nurse and a president of California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, weighed in on the current strike in a statement.

“Registered nurses and members of CNA/NNOC at Kaiser Permanente stand in solidarity with the striking workers, who are demanding the health care giant invest its profits back into patient care. RNs know the devastating impacts of Kaiser’s manufactured staffing crisis on patient care, including delays in care and lack of access,” she said.

Read the full story...

[6 October 2023 04:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Elon Musk weighs in on the strike

[6 October 2023 05:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Rep Ayanna Pressley expressed her solidarity with healthcare workers

[6 October 2023 06:00 · Kelly Rissman]

What are the healthcare workers seeking?

One major point of conflict is 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.

[6 October 2023 07:00 · Kelly Rissman]

What is Kaiser Permanente?

Kaiser Permanente bills itself as “one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health plans” and serves near 13 million members.

Its website boasts 39 hospitals and 622 medical offices, while employing 23,982 physicians and 68,218 nurses.

Last year, it had an annual operating revenue of a whopping $95.4bn. In the first two quarters of 2023, it earned over $3.2bn in income.