CALIFORNIA, USA — More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers across the country are joining the picket line to demand improved wages and staffing. The three-day demonstration is expected to be the largest health care strike in U.S. history.
“We’re all in this industry to care for people and our communities," said Georgette Bradford, an ultrasound technologist at Kaiser Permanente. “At the end of day, we’re patients, our family members are patients and our communities are patients, so when we can’t get the care that we need due to a staffing crisis, it just hurts us to the core.”
The strike, which Kaiser called “unnecessary," involves medical assistants, lab techs and support staff. Kaiser said nurses and physicians are still reporting for work.
The health care provider also said emergency departments will still run as normal but other patient care services could be impacted. Hospital staff will contact patients if an appointment needs to be rescheduled and customers are advised to check kp.org for changes in pharmacy hours.
Those demonstrating said low staffing levels exacerbated by the COVID pandemic are stretching the workforce thin and the patients are suffering the consequences.
“It impacts patients on a daily basis, from not being able to get appointments to waiting a long time to be seen, delayed care, delayed medication, it really affects the quality of care we’re able to give our patients,” Bradford said.
Kaiser Permanente told ABC10 they are actively negotiating with union workers and trying to minimize disruptions at the hospital.
“Both Kaiser Permanente management and Coalition union representatives are still at the bargaining table, having worked through the night in an effort to reach an agreement,” Kaiser said in a statement. “There has been a lot of progress, with agreements reached on several specific proposals.”
“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,” Kaiser said.
The union said there will be another demonstration planned for November if the two parties fail to strike a deal by the end of the week.
Watch more on ABC10: Patients voice health concerns ahead of Kaiser strike
