Wednesday bore witness to an extraordinary sight as multiple U.S. states saw tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers protesting in a mass strike event. With picket lines springing up from coast to coast, Kaiser Permanente warned that these demonstrations could potentially result in delays at their abundant network of hospitals and clinics, institutions that collectively serve almost 13 million American citizens.
The epicenter of this activity was the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, an organization that collectively represents 85,000 of the nationwide health system’s employees. These unions greenlit a three-day strike for the workers in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.
The turnout of participants for these protests was predicted to be approximately 75,000, including the presence of 180 workers originating from facilities in Virginia and Washington, D.C. These workers planned to picket for just one day due to the sheer distances many of them had to travel to converge upon Springfield, Virginia, on Wednesday.
Both union members and employees alike felt compelled to stand against what they perceived as dishonest bargaining from Kaiser. Many workers shared their frustration at the situation, expressing a preference for caring for patients rather than picketing on the streets. This sentiment was echoed by Jacquelyn Duley, a radiologic technologist from Kaiser Permanente Orange County – Irvine Medical Center.
Despite the disruption caused by the masses on strike, there is still hope for the continuity of patient care. Kaiser Permanente ensured that its hospitals, including emergency rooms, would remain functional throughout the strike period and estimated that thousands of temporary workers would be commissioned to address the employment void left by the striking workers. However, some adjustments were unavoidable; non-urgent procedures and appointments may be rescheduled as a result.
The strikers constituted a diverse mix of personnel, ranging from licensed vocational nurses to emergency department technicians. The impact of their collective absence could potentially slow administrative processes and other necessary services, as Brittany Everidge, a ward clerk transcriber in the maternal-child health department of the Los Angeles facility, pointed out.
Supporters of the strike maintained that they stood by the workers, acknowledging the pressing need for staffing solutions in order to assure the best care for patients. Their perspectives are reflective of the current climate in the United States, where worker demonstrations and strikes are increasingly commonplace across a variety of industries.
This year alone, the nation witnessed at least 312 strikes within its borders, involving approximately 453,000 workers. The Kaiser employees were definitely a part of this statistic. It’s feared that there may be a long-term impact in the form of negative implications for Kaiser’s reputation and brand narrative.
Amidst this turbulence, labor unions representing Kaiser members proposed an increment in worker benefits in August. The proposal included an increase in minimum wage to $25 an hour and recurring raises in the subsequent years. They cited understaffing as a prominent issue that boosted Kaiser’s profits at the expense of patient treatment.
In response, Kaiser highlighted the measures it had taken to aid its employees, including an improved minimum wage proposal and hiring additional staff. The economics of the healthcare giant have been an upward trajectory with a revenue increase in the second quarter of this year to over $25 billion.
Notwithstanding the challenges posed by labor shortages and inflation, Kaiser executive Michelle Gaskill-Hames asserted that the organization’s practices and employee benefits were comparatively superior to its counterparts in the industry. According to her, the focus of the company’s investment was on value-based care, reflecting their patient-centric approach. Despite a tumultuous year, she claimed that the turnover rate at Kaiser remained well below the industry-wide rate.
This stike stands as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles and challenges faced by the American health industry, even as it continues its dedicated service during a global pandemic. The last contract negotiations were conducted before the advent of the pandemic in 2019, and the echoes of these negotiations now resonate in the picket lines rising on the American streets.
