SAN DIEGO — Thousands of Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers began a three-day strike Wednesday in what their union says is the largest action of its type in U.S. history after contract negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
Outside Kaiser's Zion Medical center, employees carried signs and wore blue t-shirts that read" Stronger Together." Several drivers honked their support as they drove by the cheering crowd.
According to the workers, the big sticking points remain wages and staffing issues.
"We need help. We need you to step up and hire more staff," said Jeannie Shim, a hospital unit coordinator at Kaiser.
"We’re not robots, we’re human, like these patients. We care for them, love them like our own," said Reginald Villanueva, who works in inpatient transport at Kaiser. "We would not put any of our family in this predicament. If Kaiser thinks we’re family they need to start showing we’re family."
Kaiser officials said the marathon bargaining sessions did result in a "number of tentative agreements," and they insisted the health care system's latest offers address the union's demands. Kaiser officials said the company is offering:
- "across-the-board" wage increases in all markets over four years
- an improved Performance Sharing Plan with the potential for payouts of up to $3,750;
- minimum wages of $23 an hour in California and $21 an hour in other markets; and
- renewal of tuition assistance and training programs.
"We remain committed to reaching a new agreement that continues to provide our employees with market-leading wages, excellent benefits, generous retirement income plans, and valuable professional development opportunities," Kaiser said earlier on Wednesday.
The company also affirmed its commitment to hiring, confirming that it has already reached a goal of hiring 10,000 new union-represented employees before the end of the year.
"In total over the past two years, Kaiser Permanente has hired more than 50,000 people to join our teams," according to the company.
Workers are rallying outside of the following locations:
● SAN DIEGO: ZION Hospital
● LA MESA Medical Office Building 8080 PARKWAY DRIVE, LA MESA, CA 91942
● San Diego Medical Center 9455 CLAIREMONT MESA BLVD, SAN DIEGO, CA 92123
● SAN MARCOS 400 CRAVEN RD (360 & 370 RUSH DRIVE), SAN MARCOS, CA 92028
● OTAY MESA Medical Office Building 4650 PALM AVENUE, SAN DIEGO, CA 92154
Doctors are not participating in the strike. According to Kaiser, its hospitals, including emergency rooms, will remain open during the picketing. The company said it brought in temporary workers to fill gaps during the strike. However, the strike could lead to delays in getting appointments and non-urgent procedures being rescheduled.
For more information from Kaiser regarding the strike, click here.
The nationwide strike began at 3 a.m. on the East Coast, and strikes started at 6 a.m. in California.
Late Tuesday afternoon, a Kaiser spokesman told City News Service that talks were continuing "and could last into the night."
According to Kaiser "several agreements over specific provisions have been reached" with the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, and the health system's negotiators were prepared to meet around the clock "until we reach a fair and equitable agreement."
The union, however, continued circulating plans for picketing -- with 75,000 Kaiser workers expected to take part across California and several other states.
According to the union, picket locations include Kaiser facilities across the state, including in Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties. Picketing was also occurring in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Kaiser issued a statement Wednesday that rising inflation has led to a "massive surge" in expenses, and has made it tough for the company to balance taking care of its employees with being affordable to patients.
"It's our responsibility to continue to balance taking care of our employees and being more affordable to our patients, members and communities. Wages and benefits make up about half the cost of health care in America, so we all need to work together on that critical goal," according to Kaiser.
"As noted in a recent report from the American Hospital Association, rising inflation has led to health care experiencing a `massive surge' in expenses driven by drugs and supplies, equipment shortages, staffing costs and supply chain disruptions," the statement continued. "At the same time, in the wake of the pandemic, demand for care has increased dramatically, as people come in for care that has been delayed. Kaiser Permanente is not immune to these inflationary pressures."
The workers' contract expired Saturday, but bargaining continued over the weekend and again Monday, Tuesday and through the night into Wednesday.
Kaiser cited progress in the talks.
"There has been a lot of progress, with agreements reached on several specific proposals late Tuesday," according to Kaiser. "We remain committed to reaching a new agreement that continues to provide our employees with market-leading wages, excellent benefits, generous retirement income plans, and valuable professional development opportunities."
Among the workers involved in the strike are licensed vocational nurses, emergency department technicians, radiology technicians, ultrasound sonographers, teleservice representatives, respiratory therapists, X-ray technicians, certified nursing assistants, dietary services, behavioral health workers, surgical technicians, pharmacy technicians, transporters, home health aides, phlebotomists and medical assistants, union officials said.
The union has accused Kaiser of cutting performance bonuses for employees, failing to protect employees against subcontracting, offering wages that fail to keep pace with inflation and falling short in efforts to maintain adequate staffing levels.
"At issue, healthcare workers say, are a series of unfair labor practices related to bargaining in bad faith, along with simmering staff concerns related to unsafe staffing levels that can lead to dangerously long wait times, mistaken diagnosis, and neglect," according to a statement from the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions. "After years of the COVID pandemic and chronic understaffing, Kaiser healthcare workers are calling on management to provide safe staffing levels."
According to Kaiser, the company is offering "across the board wage increases," with a minimum wage starting at $21 an hour. The health care provider denied allegations it is slashing performance bonuses and raising premiums for members without any relation to health care costs or improvements in care.