Kaiser health care worker strike could be coming in Roseville

Kaiser Permanente and its healthcare workers are currently bargaining. However, the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions reports no settlement regarding unfair labor practices and worker shortages has been made, meaning a strike could be coming. Roseville employees cast their strike authorization votes Monday and Tuesday at the Kaiser Riverside Medical Offices. According to a press release from the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, more than 85,000 health care workers across the US held a meeting to negotiate with Kaiser Permanente. This has become the largest single-employer labor negotiation occurring in the United States. "In April, the Coalition began its national bargaining process. The Coalition and Kaiser Permanente last negotiated a contract in 2019, before health care workers found themselves on the front lines of the COVID pandemic that has worsened working conditions and exacerbated a health care staffing crisis," the press release says. Health care workers say Kaiser Permanente has had a history of poor employee treatment, such as "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." Hundreds of Roseville employees cast their votes Monday and Tuesday for the strike. Health care workers, eager to strike for better care from their employer, lined up during their lunch break to vote. According to Kaiser Regional representative and strike captain Jeffrey Melara, about 109 employees cast their vote Monday between noon and 1 p.m., the usual lunch break. In total, more than 500 Roseville employees voted. "I just want them to fix the understaffing," Melara said. "I'm just sad, you (Kaiser) made all these profits," but he feels the blame is being deflected on the employees. There are currently five days of bargaining with Kaiser Permanente left, however, Melara is almost certain a strike will be necessary. If a strike were to occur, it would likely be after Sept. 30, when employee contracts expire. While on strike, employees will not receive pay from Kaiser, nor will they be allowed to utilize sick or vacation pay, according to a strike FAQ sheet provided during voting. According to a recent press release from Kaiser, they address the strike authorization vote, saying, "This tactic does not reflect any breakdown in bargaining, nor does it indicate a strike is imminent or will happen at all. It is a disappointing action considering our progress at the bargaining table. It does not reflect our commitment to reaching an agreement that ensures we can continue to provide market-competitive pay and outstanding benefits." Kaiser assures they have bargained "in good faith" from the beginning in their press release. They said, "Over the course of our sixth formal negotiation session since national bargaining began in April 2023, we offered proposals on important issues including improvements to the Performance Sharing Plan (PSP) and an enterprise wide guaranteed minimum wage for our Coalition-represented employees. In addition, committees met on staffing, operational savings, and local bargaining agreements." Kaiser offers more information about their labor unions at kp.org/labor. Previously, Roseville healthcare workers took to Douglas Boulevard in July, protesting the major staffing shortages, according to a Gold Mountain News article. This isn't the first time Kaiser Permanente has experienced staffing shortages at locations across California, according to Melara. "There's just not enough staff," Melara said at the protest. "We are asking Kaiser to fix our health care staffing crisis that we are facing." The staffing crisis has worsened during Melara's 13 years working in Kaiser's call center. Kaiser responded to the previous protest in a statement, "Our priority is to reach an agreement that ensures we can continue to provide market-competitive pay and outstanding benefits. Given where we are in the bargaining process, it is clear that the picketing announced by the Coalition on July 13 is not about drawing attention to new issues, but rather an attempt to create some kind of bargaining leverage." This Labor Day, Sept. 4, United Healthcare Workers West is planning another picket at locations across the state. They're rallying together to "fill health care jobs, pay caregivers enough to survive and put patients over profits." More information will be made available soon at seiu-uhw.org/labor-day-action/.