Strike against Kaiser in third week

The ongoing strike of Kaiser facilities in California and Hawaii by thousands of its employees heated up Monday, Feb. 9, as some pharmacy and lab workers joined the effort, including at the Kaiser Roseville Medical Center on Eureka Road. More than 30,000 registered nurses and healthcare workers with the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) kicked off day 10 of their strike with about 3,000 pharmacy and lab workers also walking out to participate in the Unfair Labor Practice strike. The strike involves Kaiser facilities in Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Sacramento, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties to protest what union members say are labor violations during negotiations. The strike comes on the heels of more than seven months of unsuccessful negotiations between Kaiser and the union. Strikers allege ongoing staff shortages are driving burnout and job turnover which is resulting in patients facing delayed care, among other negative consequences. In a statement, union representatives said talks between the union and Kaiser officials have stalled. "Kaiser has ghosted us," said Geraldine Dornio, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) at Kaiser Moanalua and member of UNAC/UHCP's CRNA bargaining team. "Our Hawaii bargaining teams have reached out to the Kaiser lead negotiators for bargaining dates in multiple emails with absolutely no response. Not even a courtesy reply. They don't want to do national bargaining, but they're also completely non-responsive to requests for local bargaining. Our members want to get back to work and care for our patients. How can we do that if Kaiser ignores us?" In a statement released Jan. 25, Lionel Sims, SVP Human Resources for Kaiser Permanente Northern California, said they have come to the bargaining table in good faith and with reasonable offers. "Our alliance employees already earn, on average, about 16 percent more than similar roles at other healthcare organizations, and in some markets, they earn 24 percent more. Our current proposal builds on that, keeping Kaiser Permanente among the best-paying employers in healthcare," said Sims. "It includes the strongest compensation package in our national bargaining history: a 21.5-percent wage increase over the life of the contract, with 16 percent within the first two years. When step increases and local adjustments are factored in, the total average increase is approximately 30 percent — one of the strongest nursing contract offers in California this year." With the latest move by some pharmacy and lab workers joining the strike, Kaiser officials were forced to pivot to ensure patient care wasn't disrupted. In some cases, appointments were shifted to virtual care or rescheduled. On their website, Kaiser had this statement for patients wondering about whether the strike is affecting operations: "A union representing just 3% of our total staff is on strike at Kaiser Permanente. Our facilities are open and we're here to provide the care you need. We'll contact you if appointments need to be rescheduled." Kaiser officials have said their facilities will be staffed by doctors, experienced managers and trained staff with added licensed contract professionals as needed. They also have onboarding nurses, clinicians and other staff to work during the strike, the majority of whom have worked at Kaiser Permanente before. Members can find the latest updates on care impacts at kp.org.