Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers begin strike
The health system has failed to reach a new contract agreement with many of its union employees, who have walked out in several states. /p>
Over 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers went on a three-day strike after contract negotiations failed over wages and staffing shortages.CreditCredit...Loren Elliott for The New York Times
More 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers began a three-day strike Wednesday, one of several pressure tactics that could delay medical appointments, lab results and prescriptions for thousands of patients, particularly in California .
Among the unionized staff who participated in the walkout were support staff and other employees, such as x-ray technicians, receptionists, medical assistants , sanitation workers who disinfect rooms between patients, and pharmacy workers who help distribute medications. These workers assist in surgeries, operate imaging equipment, and support hundreds of Kaiser hospitals and outpatient clinics.
Doctors and many nurses n were not involved in the strike, but Kaiser officials warned that some elective procedures like colonoscopies or mammograms could be postponed, some clinic hours could be reduced and waits during phone calls for Getting help could take a long time. Some sites, primarily labs in places like Anaheim, San Diego and other parts of California, were closed, according to Kaiser, and others were operating with reduced hours.
No major disruption. health services were reported during the first hours of the strike, and Kaiser officials reiterated that hospitals and emergency rooms, as well as hospital pharmacies, would remain open.
For Kaiser Permanente, whose health plans cover 13 million people in eight states, the widespread strike represented a turning point in what has historically been the health system's relatively amicable relationship with its employees. Union leaders say this may be the largest strike by health care workers in recent U.S. history.
“I I've been here 33 years and I've never seen it like this. said Lisa Floyd, lab assistant and member of the negotiating committee. “Kaiser prided itself on being the best place to work and the best place to get care. This is no longer the case. It seems like they have lost their way. »
Negotiations continued on Wednesday, although no progress report was released. Biden administration Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su traveled to San Francisco and met with officials from both sides of the negotiations at the hotel where the talks were underway, according to several members of the negotiating committee . A Department of Labor spokeswoman confirmed its involvement.
Health care workers' frustrations are spilling over across the country, especially since the pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated staffing shortages among health care workers. nurses and led to burnout for many employees. Concerns about patient overload led to a nurses' strike in New York in January, and there have been more than a dozen similar strikes this year in California, Illinois, Michigan and elsewhere.< /p>
More generally, the tight labor market has emboldened many union workers, leading to the recently averted strike at United Parcel Service and the current picket lines. .
The health system has failed to reach a new contract agreement with many of its union employees, who have walked out in several states. /p>Over 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers went on a three-day strike after contract negotiations failed over wages and staffing shortages.CreditCredit...Loren Elliott for The New York Times
More 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers began a three-day strike Wednesday, one of several pressure tactics that could delay medical appointments, lab results and prescriptions for thousands of patients, particularly in California .
Among the unionized staff who participated in the walkout were support staff and other employees, such as x-ray technicians, receptionists, medical assistants , sanitation workers who disinfect rooms between patients, and pharmacy workers who help distribute medications. These workers assist in surgeries, operate imaging equipment, and support hundreds of Kaiser hospitals and outpatient clinics.
Doctors and many nurses n were not involved in the strike, but Kaiser officials warned that some elective procedures like colonoscopies or mammograms could be postponed, some clinic hours could be reduced and waits during phone calls for Getting help could take a long time. Some sites, primarily labs in places like Anaheim, San Diego and other parts of California, were closed, according to Kaiser, and others were operating with reduced hours.
No major disruption. health services were reported during the first hours of the strike, and Kaiser officials reiterated that hospitals and emergency rooms, as well as hospital pharmacies, would remain open.
For Kaiser Permanente, whose health plans cover 13 million people in eight states, the widespread strike represented a turning point in what has historically been the health system's relatively amicable relationship with its employees. Union leaders say this may be the largest strike by health care workers in recent U.S. history.
“I I've been here 33 years and I've never seen it like this. said Lisa Floyd, lab assistant and member of the negotiating committee. “Kaiser prided itself on being the best place to work and the best place to get care. This is no longer the case. It seems like they have lost their way. »
Negotiations continued on Wednesday, although no progress report was released. Biden administration Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su traveled to San Francisco and met with officials from both sides of the negotiations at the hotel where the talks were underway, according to several members of the negotiating committee . A Department of Labor spokeswoman confirmed its involvement.
Health care workers' frustrations are spilling over across the country, especially since the pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated staffing shortages among health care workers. nurses and led to burnout for many employees. Concerns about patient overload led to a nurses' strike in New York in January, and there have been more than a dozen similar strikes this year in California, Illinois, Michigan and elsewhere.< /p>
More generally, the tight labor market has emboldened many union workers, leading to the recently averted strike at United Parcel Service and the current picket lines. .
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