A three-day strike among 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers entered its final day Friday, Oct. 6 without a deal, and union officials say another walkout may be brewing if the healthcare giant continues to “commit unfair labor practices and bargain in bad faith.”
The workers are fighting for increased staffing, higher wages and limits on outsourcing of jobs, among other concerns.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions says it’s prepared to issue a 10-day strike notice if need be, which could lead to another work stoppage. Additional bargaining sessions are set for next week on Oct. 12-13.
Also see: Kaiser patients support striking workers but lament long wait times
Kaiser nurses, ER techs, respiratory therapists, x-ray technicians and scores of others have long complained of being underpaid, understaffed and burned out from doing the job of two, and sometimes three, people — a scenario that has resulted in high employee turnover.
Chronic understaffing, they say, can lead to dangerously long wait times, mistaken diagnoses and neglect.
Liza Jirakosyan, a certified nursing assistant at Kaiser’s Los Angeles Medical Center, said her post-operative unit is severely understaffed.
“We’ll often have just one or two nursing assistants to take care of 32 patients coming in from OR,” the 40-year-old Westwood resident said. “We’re trying to take care of all of them and prevent falls, but we just don’t have time to get to everyone.”
Jirakosyan, who has been on the picket line for three days, said she’s prepared to strike again if need be.
“If that’s what is necessary for us to get safe staffing and safe patient care, I’m all in — 100%,” she said.
Also see: Voices from the picket line
Workers are also concerned about the healthcare provider’s practice of outsourcing jobs. Putting limits on that, they say, would help keep experienced employees on the job while providing “strong continuity of care” for patients.
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