Kaiser Permanente was presented with a ten-day notice as its workers get ready for a protest without working on November 15, 2021. UNAC/UHCP stated that the company’s 21,000 SoCal nurses, midwives, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physician assistants and nurse practitioners would protest this way. Further, 3,400 Oregon Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals members and 7,400 United Steelworkers members would protest against the company with a strike.
The President of United Nurses Associations of California and Union of HealthCare Professionals, Denise Duncan, stated that the result of the negotiations would affect patient lives and communities’ health. As for Duncan, UNAC/UHCP has been trying to stop a tiered wage package that would affect its capability to hire and recruit people and retain them in a serious period without enough healthcare professionals. Duncan also stated that Kaiser Permanente wage proposals resemble the proposals of an aggressive or ruthless corporation instead of a leading healthcare company that UNAC/UHCP members helped to build.
According to Duncan, a strike for healthcare providers is a final course of action when all other options have failed. Duncan stated that it is clear from Kaiser Permanente’s proposals that the members have chosen to go down the strike road.
Nurses of Kaiser Permanente have been doing their jobs with no contract since October 01, 2021. At the same time, they have also demanded an annual wage hike of 4% for the members that would apply until 2023. The union is also demanding Kaiser Permanente avoid reducing wages for new hires. The company responded with an annual wage hike of 1% and a bonus of 1% as well as having asked its employees to avoid a walkout.
A Kaiser Permanente spokesperson stated that the company asked its workers to reject a request to leave the patients requiring them. The spokesperson also stated that the company prioritizes continuing to offer its members high-quality and safe care.
