Kaiser Permanente workers near end of no-deal strike
Friday was the third day of walkout for thousands of health sector employees. No new contract negotiations were expected until next week.
Kaiser Permanente health care workers ended a three-day strike Friday and were expected to return to work early Saturday Morning. without a new contract.
No new negotiation sessions were scheduled before Thursday, October 12 and Friday, October 13. Union officials warned that another walkout was possible. The two sides have yet to reach an agreement on several key issues, including salary increases.
“Outsourcing of critical healthcare tasks has become a major sticking point in negotiations in "In recent days, Kaiser executives have refused to impose limits on subcontracting and outsourcing, which keep experienced health care workers employed and ensure strong continuity of patient care," union officials said in a statement.
The effects of the three-day strike, in which technicians participated in radiology, receptionists, medical assistants and health workers, were immediately apparent. Kaiser has brought in thousands of outside workers to keep its hospitals, emergency departments and urgent care centers open, but a spokeswoman said the organization has been forced to reschedule some appointments and certain procedures, including surgeries not considered urgent.
On Friday, more than half of Kaiser's 106 laboratories in Southern California were closed, according to the company website. In Oregon and Washington, nearly two dozen Kaiser medical offices were also closed, and 11 other still-operating facilities temporarily closed various services. Kaiser encouraged patients to use mail-order pharmacy services instead of picking up their prescriptions in person and suggested that patients make virtual visits rather than coming into offices.
The acting head of the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Julie A. Su, met this week with officials from both sides of the negotiations and plans to be present when negotiations resume on Thursday, the agency said .
The standoff occurred during a period of nationwide labor unrest. Tensions in the labor market have emboldened many unions, sparking a wave of industrial action across various sectors. A strike by Hollywood actors, picketing by auto workers and a threatened (but averted) strike at United Parcel Service, all in the past three months, indicate a cultural shift with no signs of slowing.
Across the country, health workers have expressed frustration over working conditions and pay, pointing to burnout and dire staffing shortages exacerbated by the pandemic. More than a dozen health worker strikes have taken place this year in New York, California, Illinois, Michigan and elsewhere.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, a collection of a dozen unions, represents about half of Kaiser's unionized workforce and more than 75,000 workers who have walked out. Its largest member union is the S.E.I.U.-United Healthcare Workers, which has been active in labor disputes in California with other hospital systems like HCA Healthcare and Tenet Healthcare. The union recently authorized a possible strike at 11 Tenet hospitals.
For Kaiser Permanente, whose health plans cover 13 million people in eight states, union action represented a turning point in what is its history...
Friday was the third day of walkout for thousands of health sector employees. No new contract negotiations were expected until next week.
Kaiser Permanente health care workers ended a three-day strike Friday and were expected to return to work early Saturday Morning. without a new contract.
No new negotiation sessions were scheduled before Thursday, October 12 and Friday, October 13. Union officials warned that another walkout was possible. The two sides have yet to reach an agreement on several key issues, including salary increases.
“Outsourcing of critical healthcare tasks has become a major sticking point in negotiations in "In recent days, Kaiser executives have refused to impose limits on subcontracting and outsourcing, which keep experienced health care workers employed and ensure strong continuity of patient care," union officials said in a statement.
The effects of the three-day strike, in which technicians participated in radiology, receptionists, medical assistants and health workers, were immediately apparent. Kaiser has brought in thousands of outside workers to keep its hospitals, emergency departments and urgent care centers open, but a spokeswoman said the organization has been forced to reschedule some appointments and certain procedures, including surgeries not considered urgent.
On Friday, more than half of Kaiser's 106 laboratories in Southern California were closed, according to the company website. In Oregon and Washington, nearly two dozen Kaiser medical offices were also closed, and 11 other still-operating facilities temporarily closed various services. Kaiser encouraged patients to use mail-order pharmacy services instead of picking up their prescriptions in person and suggested that patients make virtual visits rather than coming into offices.
The acting head of the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Julie A. Su, met this week with officials from both sides of the negotiations and plans to be present when negotiations resume on Thursday, the agency said .
The standoff occurred during a period of nationwide labor unrest. Tensions in the labor market have emboldened many unions, sparking a wave of industrial action across various sectors. A strike by Hollywood actors, picketing by auto workers and a threatened (but averted) strike at United Parcel Service, all in the past three months, indicate a cultural shift with no signs of slowing.
Across the country, health workers have expressed frustration over working conditions and pay, pointing to burnout and dire staffing shortages exacerbated by the pandemic. More than a dozen health worker strikes have taken place this year in New York, California, Illinois, Michigan and elsewhere.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, a collection of a dozen unions, represents about half of Kaiser's unionized workforce and more than 75,000 workers who have walked out. Its largest member union is the S.E.I.U.-United Healthcare Workers, which has been active in labor disputes in California with other hospital systems like HCA Healthcare and Tenet Healthcare. The union recently authorized a possible strike at 11 Tenet hospitals.
For Kaiser Permanente, whose health plans cover 13 million people in eight states, union action represented a turning point in what is its history...
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