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Kaiser Permanente health care workers were ending a three-day strike Friday and were expected to return to work early Saturday without a new contract.
No new trading sessions were scheduled until Thursday, October 12 and Friday, October 13. Union officials warned that another strike was possible. The two sides had not yet reached an agreement on several key issues, including wage increases.
“Outsourcing of critical health care tasks has become a key point in negotiations in recent days, as Kaiser executives have refused to impose limitations on outsourcing and subcontracting, which keep health care workers experienced physicians in their jobs and provide strong continuity of care to patients. union leaders said in a statement.
The effects of the three-day strike, which included x-ray technicians, receptionists, medical assistants and sanitation workers, were immediately evident. Kaiser hired thousands of outside workers to keep its hospitals, emergency departments and urgent care centers open, but a spokeswoman said the organization had been forced to reschedule some appointments and procedures, including surgeries that were not considered urgent.
On Friday, more than half of Kaiser’s 106 labs in Southern California were closed, according to the company website. In Oregon and Washington, nearly two dozen Kaiser medical offices were also closed and 11 other facilities that were still in operation were closed. temporarily closed various departments. Kaiser encouraged patients to use mail-order pharmacy services instead of picking up prescriptions in person and suggested patients take virtual visits instead of showing up at offices.
The acting head of the U.S. Department of Labor, Julie A. Su, met with officials on both sides of the negotiations this week and plans to be present when talks resume Thursday, the agency said.
The stalemate came during a time of labor unrest across the country. The rigidity of the labor market has emboldened many unions, prompting a wave of labor actions in various industries. A strike by Hollywood actors, picketing by auto workers, and a threatened (but averted) strike by United Parcel Service, all in the last three months, indicate a cultural shift that shows no signs of slowing.
Across the country, health care workers have expressed frustration with working conditions and wages, pointing to burnout and dire staffing shortages that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. More than a dozen health care worker strikes have taken place this year in New York City, California, Illinois, Michigan and elsewhere.
The Kaiser Permanente Coalition of Unions, a collection of about a dozen unions, represents about half of Kaiser’s unionized workforce and more than 75,000 workers who left their jobs. Its largest member union is SEIU-United Healthcare Workers, which has been active in labor disputes in California with other hospital systems such as HCA Healthcare and Tenet Healthcare. The Union recently authorized a possible strike at 11 Tenet hospitals.
For Kaiser Permanente, whose health plans cover 13 million people in eight states, the job action represented a turning point in what has historically been a relatively friendly relationship with employees.
Edith Hurtado, a medical assistant at a Kaiser clinic in San Francisco, said she went on strike because her job was “becoming exhausting” and patients were waiting longer for care because her clinic was so short-staffed.
Unions say they are fighting for more than just higher wages and want Kaiser Permanente to address dangerously low staffing levels at its hospitals and clinics. Unions across the country have pushed for improved conditions, including higher staffing levels and better pandemic protective equipment.
Research shows that health care unions’ fight to improve working conditions for their members often increases the quality of care, said Adam Dean, an associate professor of political science at George Washington University who has studied the impact of unions. unions in nursing homes. “There are very clear indirect effects for patients,” he said.
The strike is also due to the rising cost of living. The group of unions represents administrative and maintenance workers, many of whom have been particularly hard hit and are struggling financially. Many are angry about the million-dollar salaries of Kaiser executives.
“Lower-wage workers are being left behind,” said John August, who was executive director of the Kaiser coalition of unions until 2013 and is now program director at the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Timothy Regan, a clinical health educator for 25 years, was among the sea of protesters, dressed in purple and yellow, who flooded sidewalks and medians in San Francisco on Wednesday, cheering and banging tambourines.
“We want that collaborative partnership in good faith, and we wanted it months ago,” Regan said, adding that he wanted to ensure good working conditions for the next generation. “Many of us are surprised that we have reached this point.”
Soumya Karlamangla contributed with reports.