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LOS ANGELES () — Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers across California and Hawaii walked off the job Monday in a strike over safe staffing levels, fair compensation and timely care for patients.
The strike, which started at 7 a.m., includes 31,000 members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. That includes registered nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, among other professionals.
The strike is expected to continue until a deal is reached.
Dozens hit the picket line outside of the Kaiser facility in Panorama City. Unions officials are accusing Kaiser of coming up short at the bargaining table.
“The core sticking points… we’ve been at the bargaining table for heading on a year,” said Charmaine S. Morales, RN, president of UNAC/UHCP. “We’re looking for fair wages… that look at recruiting, staff, retaining staff. We have a number of things that we want to able to address regarding access for patient care, workload.”
“We want to make sure that our members have a voice. They are the folks closest to the patients that come through these doors.”
Some of the nurses on the picket line say they feel overwhelmed with the patient load they deal with daily.
“We are always understaffed. People wait two, three, four, five hours in the emergency room. They are sitting on top of each other in the waiting room because we don’t have enough staff to take care of those patients,” one nurse told Eyewitness News.
The union filed an unfair labor practice charge against Kaiser with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the company walked away from the bargaining table in December and has attempted to bypass the agreed-upon national bargaining process. The union had been bargaining with Kaiser since last May.
In Orange and Los Angeles counties, the pickets were held at:
— Anaheim Medical Center, 3440 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim;
— Downey Medical Center, 9333 Imperial Highway, Downey;
— South Bay Medical Center, 25825 Vermont Ave., Harbor City;
— Los Angeles Medical Center, 4867 Sunset Blvd., in the East Hollywood area of Los Angeles;
— West Los Angeles Medical Center, 6041 Cadillac Ave., in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles;
— Baldwin Park Medical Center, 1011 Baldwin Park Blvd., Baldwin Park;
— Panorama City Medical Center, 13651 Willard St., Panorama City;
— Woodland Hills Medical Center, 5601 De Soto Ave., Woodland Hills.
Kaiser says its proposal is the strongest compensation package in its national bargaining history, and it includes a 21.5% wage increase. The company says its employees are already paid more than those in similar roles at other organizations.
“Our focus remains on reaching agreements that recognize the vital contributions of our employees while ensuring high-quality, affordable care. We have proposed 21.5% wage increases – our strongest national bargaining offer ever – and we are prepared to close agreements at local tables now. Employees deserve their raises, and patients deserve our full attention, not prolonged disputes,” Kaiser said in a statement.
Officials say hospitals will remain open, and plans are in place to ensure patients receive the care they need during the strike. Some non-urgent and elective surgeries may have to be rescheduled, and some pharmacies may be closed.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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