Why 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers went on strike? All you need to know

Kaiser Permanente workers went on strike: On Wednesday morning, more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers went on strike.

One of the biggest healthcare strikes to ever occur in the US.

The healthcare provider and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions were unable to come to a contract agreement before the due date. As a result, healthcare personnel from five states and the District of Columbia dispersed to join the picket line.

According to Hilary Costa, a representative for Kaiser Permanente, the healthcare provider has backup measures in place to make sure its patients receive care despite the strike. Additionally, their ERs and hospitals will be open, according to Costa.

More than 12 million people are served by Kaiser Permanente, a private healthcare organisation with hundreds of locations around the US, including 39 hospitals and 715 physician offices.

Workers in 95% of these sites are represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions. Therefore, the strike will have an impact on more than 11 million Kaiser Permanente customers.

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Why 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers went on strike?

Despite being open, hospitals may experience delays as a result of the strike, Insider previously reported. This is so that they may better serve their members, who work in a variety of positions at the business, such as registered nurses, admissions staff, cleaners, phlebotomists, surgery assistants, and others. The company’s doctors are not represented by the union.

The issue of understaffing in healthcare facilities is one of the top problems for Kaiser Permanente employees.

Miriam De La Paz, a Kaiser Permanente employee and union organiser, previously told Insider, “We don’t feel that it’s OK that our patients have to wait two, three months for an appointment because there isn’t enough staff to be able to open up more slots or more times to be seen.”

Costa stated to Insider on Sunday that the business has already filled 9,000 Coalition-represented positions this year and anticipates reaching 10,000 by the end of October, if not earlier. Costa also stated that the business will continue to hire once it reaches this milestone.

This unprecedented strike occurs more than a month after the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions declared that the 85,000 unionised workers would vote in September to authorise a strike.

“Delays would result from a strike. But what else contributes to patient care delays? not having enough staff to care for the patients in Colorado who have been waiting six months for a radiological visit. The Coalition’s executive director, Caroline Lucas, stated as much during a news conference in August.