SAN DIEGO — Nurses and other union healthcare workers may be going on strike if they can’t reach a deal with Kaiser Permanente by the end of the day Thursday.
The union said thousands of its members are planning to vote on a strike at midnight if the current contract expires without an agreement.
There are 24,000 members in the Alliance of Health Care Unions that work for Kaiser. Union leadership said they’d like to avoid a strike but if they have to, they’re prepared to walk off the job.
The last meeting between the Alliance of Health Care Unions and Kaiser Permanente was held on Sept. 10 but with its contract set to expire Thursday night, the alliance is back at the bargaining table.
“Just hoping we get back on path. We have a history of collaborating and solving things together. So, we’re hoping to do that. Bottom line is, Kaiser Permanente needs us,” said Charmaine Morales, Exec. Vice President of United Nurses Association of California.
On Sept. 20, Kaiser released a statement saying in part:
"Kaiser Permanente’s Labor Management Partnership was created 24 years ago and has a great track record of serving as the framework through which we can solve sometimes very difficult problems. Instead of abandoning it, in the spirit of the partnership we ask union leaders to continue to work constructively toward an agreement, rather than call on nurses and other employees to walk away from patients who need them during this pandemic."
“So, at this point the proposals that the employer has put across are unacceptable,” Morales said.
Morales said the union is asking for a 4% wage increase for all of its members over the next three years but Kaiser offered a 1% wage increase with a 1% bonus for each year. New hires in 2023 would be offered a reduced wage.
“It’s lower wages for people doing the same amount of work and when there’s a shortage, you’re trying to get people to come to work with the current wages. You can’t do it and you need to put bonuses out there, it’s not the right way to go,” Morales said.
Morales said Kaiser has already begun hiring outside contractors so she does not believe patient care will be impacted. By law, the alliance has to give Kaiser a 10-day notice before officially going on strike.