SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers are on strike Wednesday throughout California and several other states. The three-day demonstration is expected to be the largest health care strike in U.S. history.
Picket lines formed in Modesto and Sacramento Wednesday, the first day of the strike. Workers are demanding pay increases and saying that understaffing is boosting the hospital system's profits but hurting patients. Nursing staff, dietary staff, receptionists, optometrists and pharmacists are of those on strike.
In a statement late Wednesday describing the day’s progress, Kaiser Permanente said while they and the Coalition Unions have not reached a contract settlement, they have been able to reach a number of tentative agreements. Those include across-the-board wage increases over the next four years and offering minimum wages of $23 an hour in California and $21 dollars in other states.
Meanwhile, the strike is impacting some patients’ appointments.
Kaiser Permanente patient Michael Broyles told ABC10 he's excited about getting relief from his knee pain. For months, his surgery had been on the calendar for Oct. 4, but he got a call from Kaiser Permanente Monday saying due to the strike, they are postponing the procedure.
"The first thought I had was, 'Son of a biscuit! I've been so looking forward to getting my knee fixed,’" said Broyles. "I'm getting complete knee replacement on my left knee because I have no cartilage left."
He knows many other patients are in the same situation for various other non-emergency and elective procedures.
"If I have to wait, I've got to wait. My hands are pretty much up in the air, as is [the case for] many other people,” he said. “I hope to have it done as soon as this thing gets rectified."
ABC10 talked with workers on the picket line Wednesday.
"We pride ourselves in taking care of our patients. With the short-staffed crisis, we're not able to dedicate our full attention, and we are spread very thin,” said Kristy Roscher, a teleservice representative with Kaiser’s Appointment and Advice Call Center.
Other Kaiser employees say the strike is for patients.
"Kaiser was delivered a 10-day notice. They had time to be able to come to the table and do the right thing," said Liz Grigsby, a Respiratory Therapist Supervisor at Kaiser Roseville. "We are doing this for our patients because of short-staffing."
Kaiser says they made good on a joint goal they and the unions agreed to in April of hiring 10,000 people by the end of this year. The hospital system says they have now met that goal, three months ahead of schedule, and they'll continue to hire.
As for patients impacted by the strike, Kaiser said in a statement, “Our hospitals, emergency departments and pharmacies will remain open during the strike… We may need to reschedule non-emergency and elective services in some locations out of an abundance of caution... We will contact members affected by any necessary changes in our services."
Some laboratory locations are temporarily closed in California. As of now, the strike is set to end early Saturday morning.
