Thousands of healthcare workers march through Vermont to call for the urgent need for better working conditions, better support systems and more investment in the healthcare workforce at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Hollywood on Monday, September 4, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA.
Daniel Maxwell | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
More than 75,000 employees at the largest nonprofit health care provider in the United States threatened to strike on Friday if an agreement to resolve a staffing crisis is not reached by the end of next week.
A labor coalition warned Kaiser Permanente on Friday that its members will go to hundreds of health care facilities in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Virginia and Washington DC for three days in October if an agreement is not reached to resolve the issue.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions issued the ultimatum after their latest bargaining session concluded without a clear solution.
The unions said they will strike from October 4 to 6 if an agreement is not reached when their current contract expires on September 30.
Kaiser Permanente serves nearly 13 million patients. It operates 39 hospitals and more than 600 medical offices in eight states and DC
Dave Regan, president of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, said Kaiser has failed to adequately address a staffing crisis that has led to dangerous wait times for patients.
“Kaiser executives refuse to acknowledge how much patient care has deteriorated or how much primary care staff and patients are suffering from the Kaiser understaffing crisis,” Regan said in a statement.
Members of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions include medical assistants, surgical and laboratory technicians, pharmacists and administrative staff. Several unions voted overwhelmingly in favor of strikes at Kaiser last week.
Kaiser has called the unions’ claims misleading and urged workers to resist a call for a strike.
“The coalition unions are in a position to strike in October. However, over the last 26 years of our historic partnership between labor and management, we have reached agreement with the coalition every time, without strikes. A strike announcement does not mean that a strike will take place. ,” Kaiser said in a statement.
“Our top priority is the care of our members and patients, and we have plans in place to ensure we can continue to provide high-quality care if a strike does occur,” Kaiser said. “To be clear, we will continue to negotiate in good faith until we reach a fair and equitable agreement that strengthens our position as a best place to work and ensures that the high-quality care our members expect from us remains affordable and easily accessible. .”