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| 75,000 union health care workers at Kaiser Permanente go on strike Wednesday |
| 2023-10-05 |
| [FoxNews] Unions say it is the largest strike of health care workers in US history. More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees walked off the job on Wednesday in what their union representatives say is the largest strike of health care workers in U.S. history. A coalition of labor unions representing the workers notified the company last month that it planned to carry out a three-day strike starting Wednesday at 6:00 a.m. PT if a new contract was not reached in time. The previous contract expired Saturday. The strike will impact hundreds of hospitals spanning several states, with picket lines in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The health care workers' unions are calling for increased staffing levels at Kaiser Permanente hospitals, saying the facilities are in the midst of a "short-staffing crisis" that is unsafe and could lead to patients facing dangerously long wait times, mistaken diagnoses and neglect. The unions also accuse the hospital conglomerate of committing unfair labor practices. "Kaiser executives are refusing to listen to us and are bargaining in bad faith over the solutions we need to end the Kaiser short-staffing crisis," said Jessica Cruz, a licensed vocational nurse at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, in a prepared statement. "I see my patients’ frustrations when I have to rush them and hurry on to my next patient. That’s not the care I want to give," Cruz continued. "We’re burning ourselves out trying to do the jobs of two or three people, and our patients suffer when they can't get the care they need due to Kaiser's short-staffing." One of the coalition unions, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, held a demonstration at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in early September to protest working conditions at the hospital. The event reportedly drew thousands, and some protesters formed a human chain. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #5 Had my bi-annual eye checkup at Kaiser yesterday. No problem, just will have to wait til next week to process contacts order |
| Posted by: Frank G 2023-10-05 07:26 |
| #4 Yeah, "do no harm"...to my wallet. Up to 13 MILLION Kaiser Permanente patients are facing delays on surgeries, X-rays and ER closures as 75,000 staff go on strike for three days |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2023-10-05 06:42 |
| #3 First "primum non nocere" (do no harm) |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2023-10-05 05:55 |
| #2 Why? Because the national staffing trend of onshoring marginally educated, culturally atrophied, clinical help will be exacerbated by their absence. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2023-10-05 05:23 |
| #1 So the strike will impact 100's of hospitals in California (LSD), Colorado (LSD), Washington (LSD), Oregon (LSD), Maryland (d), Virginia (D) and Washington, D.C (LSD) and I suppose to care? Why? |
| Posted by: NN2N1 2023-10-05 05:14 |