As America’s year of labor unrest continued, tens of thousands of healthcare workers in the country began to leave their jobs on Wednesday, sparking one of the biggest strikes in the industry in recent memory.
More than 75,000 employees at Kaiser Permanente, the largest nonprofit healthcare organization in the nation, went on strike as rising inflation sparked strikes across the US, from Hollywood actors to Detroit auto workers.
On the picket lines in Los Angeles on Wednesday, people claimed they were overworked and underpaid.
Armando Velasco, an X-ray technician, told AFP that “ever since the pandemic struck, we lost a lot of members and we never recovered them.”And right now, we stand at the edge of a precipice.”
The spiraling cost of living in southern California, according to nurse Kathy Lozoya, is making life extremely difficult.
“All we’re asking from Kaiser CEOs is to share those profits with the frontline workers,” she said, referring to Kaiser Permanente’s reported billions of dollars in profits.
“All we’re asking for is a fair contract that allows us to live.”
Scarleth Rocha, a fellow nurse, expressed her concern that a staff shortage would be detrimental to patients.
Having 26 patients under one nurse’s care for 12-hour shifts is not ideal, and she added that having that many patients under one nurse’s care at one time is unsafe.
The three-day strike was anticipated to have an impact on Kaiser Permanente facilities in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington state. A few employees planned to take a 24-hour strike in Virginia and Washington, DC.
Despite a warning that there would be “longer-than-usual” wait times, Kaiser stated that centers would remain open.
Talks are still going on, a Kaiser spokesman said to the media on Tuesday.
With the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, “a number of agreements over specific provisions have been reached,” the spokesman said, adding that negotiators were ready to meet nonstop “until we reach a fair and equitable agreement.”
The union is fighting for pay increases and safeguards against subcontracting and outsourcing of labor, claiming that this will be the largest healthcare worker strike in US history.
In November, it has threatened to stage additional strikes “if Kaiser continues to engage in unfair labor practices.”
pressures brought on by inflation.
The US has experienced an unusually high level of industrial action this year as workers grapple with inflation levels not seen in a generation. Wednesday’s strike comes during this period.
The purchasing power of consumers nationwide has decreased as a result of higher prices, and worries about an increasing number of jobs being automated due to the development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) have increased.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union is currently taking part in its first-ever joint strike action against the “Big Three” automakers — GM, Ford, and Chrysler maker Stellantis — in Detroit in an effort to demand higher pay and better working conditions.
While negotiations are ongoing, more than 25,000 employees — or about 17% of the UAW’s 146,000 members — are on strike in 21 states.
The lucrative Californian film industry came to an abrupt halt in Hollywood due to a multi-month-long strike by writers and actors, which also prevented the production and broadcast of significant motion pictures and television shows.
The SAF-AFTRA union’s actors were on the picket lines on Wednesday, even as their negotiators met with studios for a second full day of talks, even though the writers have since reached an agreement to return to work.
