Kaiser Permanente, union leaders set to bargain a new deal
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Headway has been made in the recent Kaiser Permanente strike.
Union leaders announced Friday that a new bargaining session is set to begin October 12.
"We look forward to reaching a new agreement that continues to provide our employees with market-leading wages and benefits, and ensures our high-quality care is affordable and available to meet our members’ needs," a Kaiser Permanente Union spokesperson said in a statement.
Kaiser Permanente employees begin largest healthcare strike in U.S. history
More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees are expected to be out on the picket line Wednesday morning after they couldn’t come to an agreement with management on a new contract.
Kaiser unions across California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and a handful of other East Coast states, went on strike Wednesday after the unions and management failed to come to an agreement on a new contract, marking the largest healthcare worker strike in U.S. history.
The 75,000 Kaiser union members were on standby leading up to the strike in hopes that a last-minute deal would be reached, but no deal was made.
Employees say they're picketing for higher wages, better treatment and more staffing, which employees have alleged that low staff numbers have had detrimental effects on patient care.
"Since the pandemic began 3-and-a-half years ago, a lot of our co-workers have left the industry and Kaiser executives have really failed to replace them," said Ethan Ruskin, a health educator at Kaiser San Jose. "And to have the staff that we need to take care of our patients."