On Wednesday, a significant strike action began involving tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers, causing a ripple effect that could potentially disrupt services across its clinics and hospitals which cater to nearly 13 million U.S. residents. These healthcare establishments braced themselves for an unprecedented disturbance.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, the representatives for approximately 85,000 Kaiser Permanente employees across the nation, sanctioned a three-day strike action across multiple states including California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.
A striking group of perhaps 75,000 individuals was projected to join the demonstrations. Around 180 members from facilities in Virginia and Washington D.C decided to picket for a single day, converging in Springfield, Virginia on Wednesday. The majority of these facilities are based in California where numerous employees were seen protesting outside hospitals.
Jacquelyn Duley, a radiologic technologist stationed at Kaiser Permanente Orange County – Irvine Medical Centre, was counted among the throng of picketers. She claimed, “Kaiser has not been bargaining with us in good faith and so it’s pushing us to come out here and strike. We want to be inside just taking care of our patients.”
Kaiser Permanente, a non-profit organisation headquartered in Oakland, California, assured that all 39 of its hospitals, including the emergency departments, would continue operating despite the strike. Temporary workers numbering in the thousands were called upon to fill the labor breach. However, the company prepared its patients for potential postponement of appointments and non-emergency procedures.
The strike action was passionately launched early Wednesday at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Centre, with the strike deadline triggering a wave of cheers. The protestors enrolled for the strike included persons from diverse healthcare roles like nurses, home health aides, sonographers, and technicians in multiple departments such as radiology, x-ray, surgery, pharmacy, and emergency.
The broad discontentment among employees symbolised by the strike intersects a recent pattern of work stoppages across different industries like transportation, entertainment, and hospitality.
The seething dissatisfaction among the healthcare workers was attributed to considerable understaffing issues that were profiting the hospital system but adversely impacting the patients. The accusations continued to include claims of executives acting in bad faith throughout the negotiation process.
Kaiser has responded with a proposal on Wednesday offering a wage boost and hiring an extra 10,000 people, alongside the 51,000 workers newly on-boarded since 2022. Despite posting increased operating revenue and profit this year, the company noted ongoing challenges with inflation and labor shortages.
Michelle Gaskill-Hames, a Kaiser executive, confidently proclaimed the organisation’s practices, compensation, and retention as superior to its competitors, even as the entire industry grapples with similar challenges. She highlighted that Kaiser’s turnover rate of 7% compared favorably to the industry average of 21%.
This labor unrest has emerged following a contract negotiation completed in 2019, predating the complications introduced by the ongoing pandemic.
