OAKLAND, Calif.—An estimated 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers went on strike over staffing shortages and wages on Oct. 4 in the nation’s largest health care strike.
Nurses, medical technicians, and many others walked picket lines at hundreds of Kaiser Permanente hospitals and medical offices in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Colorado, California, Oregon, and Washington.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, representing workers in seven states and the District of Columbia, started bargaining with the company in April but was unable to reach a new labor agreement before the contract ended on Sept. 30.
The strike is expected to last three days.
Caroline Lucas, executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, said union negotiators are ready to restart negotiations with Kaiser executives.
“Given the urgency of Kaiser’s staffing crisis, frontline healthcare workers are ready to sit down with Kaiser executives whenever they’re ready to bargain in good faith — including up until the scheduled strike start time. However, no agreement can be made until Kaiser executives stop bargaining in bad faith and committing unfair labor practices,” Ms. Lucas said in a press release the day before the strike began.
“Patients and workers need dramatic action now to solve the Kaiser short staffing crisis and to ensure our patients’ safety.”
“We are disappointed that some unions have called on employees to participate in a labor strike,” the company posted online. “As a result of this strike, we may experience high call volumes resulting in longer than unusual wait times. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We want to reassure you that your care is our top priority. We have contingency plans in place to help ensure you continue to receive safe, high-quality care during this period.”
In some cases, the company plans to augment personnel with licensed and qualified contract staff at its facilities, according to Kaiser.
Some outpatient pharmacies may be temporarily closed or have reduced hours during the strike, but hospital pharmacies and crucial services will continue operating, Kaiser said in the statement.
Hundreds of union members gathered at Kaiser’s Oakland hospital in California—where the nonprofit company is based—starting at 5 a.m. on Oct. 4.
Mirna Lopez, a health educator who works at Kaiser’s offices in Oakland and Berkeley, California, said wages weren’t keeping up with the Bay Area’s high cost of living.
“We can’t afford where we live,” Ms. Lopez told The Epoch Times from the picket line. “People are leaving because they cannot afford to stay.”
Staffing shortages are also affecting patient care, she said.
“Many patients are having to wait a long time for regular, preventative appointments, screenings, lab work, because we don’t have the staff,” she said.
Workers also aren’t feeling appreciated, which she said was contributing to workers’ leaving for other health care groups.
Respiratory therapist Guido Gerlitz, who works at night in the pediatric intensive care unit at Kaiser’s Oakland hospital, said he hoped the company would increase the “differential” pay rate, which is added to some workers’ hourly rate as compensation for working at night.
“I work nights, and there hasn’t been a differential [rate] increase in 30 years,” Mr. Gerlitz told The Epoch Times. “We get less than $2 an hour differential [pay,] and that’s less than any other hospital in the area. It’s very unfortunate.”
He also said an increase in wages and additional staff would help.
“What we all went through with COVID—working with patients here on the front lines—it wasn’t easy, but I was happy to make a difference,” he added. “It’s a way to show respect and appreciate us for what we have done and what we do on a daily basis.”
Andre, who asked that his last name not be used, said the strike brought everyone together at the Oakland hospital demonstration on Oct. 4.
“It looks like we have a lot of support out here, not only from the doctors as well as some supervisors but just everybody,” Andre told The Epoch Times. “All the departments came together here. All we want is fair wages for the work that we’ve put in and will continue to put in. We also want to make sure the patients will be taken care of and get what they need.”
At Kaiser’s Los Angeles Medical Center, nurse Jessica Cruz said workers are burning out.
According to the union coalition, workers are prepared to engage in another longer strike in November if Kaiser’s “unfair labor practices” continue.
Kaiser Permanente is a membership-based managed-care consortium and has provided health care and medical coverage for more than 75 years.
Based in Oakland, it has 305,000 employees and physicians and 12.6 million members and operates in eight states—Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, and Georgia—and the District of Columbia, according to the company.
