Skip to main content

Over 75,000 Kaiser Permanente Union Workers Could Strike on Wednesday

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 -- Health care workers who serve millions of Americans could strike Wednesday if Kaiser Permanente and union workers don’t reach an agreement.

More than 75,000 members of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are poised to strike, CNBC reported. The union, whose contract expired Saturday, represents medical assistants, surgical and lab technicians and pharmacists, among other staffers.

Workers and the nation’s largest nonprofit, private health care provider failed to reach an agreement over the weekend. Staffing levels are a key issue, along with pay and benefits, CNBC reported.

“Kaiser executives refuse to acknowledge how much patient care has deteriorated or how much the frontline health care workforce and patients are suffering because of the Kaiser short-staffing crisis,” Dave Regan, president of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, said in late September.

Kaiser has said that it has contingency plans to ensure continued patient care, CNBC reported.

Negotiations are ongoing, said a Kaiser spokesperson Monday. The company, which is providing online status reports, has said it is confident negotiations will be successful.

Kaiser has 39 hospitals and more than 600 medical offices serving nearly 13 million patients in Washington, D.C., and eight states, including California, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. Employees in Kaiser's Georgia facilities would not be affected.

The coalition of unions has accused Kaiser of negotiating in bad faith and committing unfair labor practices, CNBC reported. Members will strike if Kaiser executives do not take “dramatic action now to solve the Kaiser short-staffing crisis by investing in its workforce,” the coalition said in a statement to CNBC.

Kaiser generated $25 billion in revenue in the second quarter of 2023. It reported $2 billion in profit for the quarter, up from a loss of $1.2 billion during same quarter in 2022, CNBC reported.

Sources

  • CNBC, news release, Oct. 2, 2023

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted October 2023

Read this next

1 in 8 Older Americans Are Stricken With Traumatic Head Injury

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- About one in eight U.S. seniors will be treated for a traumatic brain injury, typically during a fall, a new study finds. Medicare data shows that about...

Could Tough Workouts Trigger a Hot Flash?

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- While going through menopause, many women who gain weight head to the gym for intense workouts, but new research suggests that too much exercise may help...

U.S. Deaths Linked to ATVs Rose by a Third in One Year

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- In just one year, U.S. deaths linked to the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) jumped by a third, according to the latest report from the Consumer Product...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.