2023-10-01 20:19:33
In what could be the largest health care strike in US history, which will have direct impacts on thousands of patients, more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers are preparing to leave their jobs within days, as no… Negotiations between employees and management remain stalled due to wage, outsourcing and staffing issues.
According to the Washington Post, a coalition of unions representing Kaiser workers had previously notified the company that a three-day strike would begin on Wednesday in California, Oregon, Colorado, Virginia, Washington state and the District of Columbia.
But the newspaper explained on Sunday that it is still possible to reach an agreement and prevent this from happening, but a strike appears increasingly likely, as the current employment contract for these employees was scheduled to expire after Saturday.
She noted that the talks are still controversial, as the union accuses the company of bargaining in bad faith, and the company urges workers not to participate in any strike that would threaten the quality of patient care.
The conflict comes against the backdrop of the reactivation of the labor movement in the United States, with unions asserting their presence amid high inflation and labor shortages after the “Covid-19” epidemic, as the United Auto Workers Union recently began a work strike in the three major automakers in the United States, while A five-month Hollywood writers’ strike recently ended, according to the newspaper.
But the newspaper believes that it may take weeks or even months for consumers to feel the impact of the shutdown in the manufacturing and entertainment sectors. On the other hand, staff shortages in certain sectors, such as health care, can directly impact patient care.
The newspaper quoted Kaiser as saying that it still hopes to avoid a strike before Wednesday, and is prepared to keep its facilities running in the event of an outage.
A Kaiser spokesman said the D.C. area would likely see less impact than other states, with Virginia and D.C. members including just 400 pharmacists and optometrists planning to strike for just 24 hours. No Maryland state employee will strike, according to the newspaper.
In a statement late Saturday, Kaiser said the company and union “continue to make progress on key issues,” citing a redesigned performance-sharing plan and tentative agreements on education, use of temporary workers, tracking job openings and resolving disputes. “Operations will continue as usual on Sunday morning, and we will continue to respect all provisions of the current contract,” the company said.
The statement added: “If the strike begins on October 4, we have contingency plans to ensure members continue to receive safe, high-quality care for the duration of the strike,” adding that “hospitals and emergency centers will remain open.”
However, the newspaper explained that patients would likely see longer wait times and less availability of outpatient services if a strike occurs.
She noted that in the event of a strike, patients would likely still be able to see doctors and nurses, but there could be a deterioration in services such as pharmacies and laboratories.
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