Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers are hitting the picket line on Thursday and Friday, which could impact patients with non-urgent medical appointments or procedures at facilities across Northern California.More than 40,000 workers with SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West and several other unions are striking in support of Local 39 Operating Engineers. Local 39 IUOE represents about 600 operating engineers with Kaiser. The group has been on strike for more than two months. Organizers call their action the largest sympathy strike in the country.“We are sympathy striking because Kaiser has lost its way and is putting its drive for profits over people, hurting our patients and union co-workers. The Local 39 engineers play a critical role in maintaining our facilities and the equipment we use to take care of patients,” Ethan Ruskin, a health educator at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Jose, said in a release. “Kaiser needs to put patients first and deliver a fair contract to the engineers.”The Kaiser facility on Morse Avenue is one of 21 facilities where workers are striking on Thursday.“This is a great feeling,” said Jeffrey Florence with Local 39 from the picket line on Thursday. “There’s strength in numbers. We’re extremely happy to have our brothers and sisters out here walking with us.” Kristina Greenway with SEIU said, “We work with these engineers daily. They maintain our facilities. They maintain the equipment that we use for patient care.” Among those participating in the strike are optometrists, clinical laboratory scientists, respiratory and X-ray technicians, licensed vocational nurses, certified nursing assistants, surgical technicians, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, medical assistants and housekeepers.That means some appointments could be canceled over the next two days at Kaiser facilities. Kaiser said that it would reach out to patients to reschedule or convert appointments to phone or video. “We will not postpone any urgent or emergency care, or critical medical appointments,” Kaiser said. Some outpatient pharmacies will be temporarily closed through Friday, Kaiser said. The provider encourages people to use their mail delivery pharmacy. Kaiser said its proposals to the Local 39 would keep the engineers “among the best compensated in their professions,” with an average of more than $180,000 in total wages and benefits.”Unfortunately, after many hours bargaining on Tuesday and Wednesday, there is no movement in negotiations with Local 39,” Kaiser said in a statement. “The union insists it receive much more – in some cases nearly 2 times more – than other union agreements covering Kaiser Permanente employees.”Kaiser said the sympathy strike “will not bring us closer to an agreement” and was unfair to patients.The latest strike comes after Kaiser announced a tentative deal to avert a pharmacy strike earlier this week.
Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers are hitting the picket line on Thursday and Friday, which could impact patients with non-urgent medical appointments or procedures at facilities across Northern California.
More than 40,000 workers with SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West and several other unions are striking in support of Local 39 Operating Engineers. Local 39 IUOE represents about 600 operating engineers with Kaiser. The group has been on strike for more than two months.
Organizers call their action the largest sympathy strike in the country.
“We are sympathy striking because Kaiser has lost its way and is putting its drive for profits over people, hurting our patients and union co-workers. The Local 39 engineers play a critical role in maintaining our facilities and the equipment we use to take care of patients,” Ethan Ruskin, a health educator at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Jose, said in a release. “Kaiser needs to put patients first and deliver a fair contract to the engineers.”
The Kaiser facility on Morse Avenue is one of 21 facilities where workers are striking on Thursday.
“This is a great feeling,” said Jeffrey Florence with Local 39 from the picket line on Thursday. “There’s strength in numbers. We’re extremely happy to have our brothers and sisters out here walking with us.”
Kristina Greenway with SEIU said, “We work with these engineers daily. They maintain our facilities. They maintain the equipment that we use for patient care.”
Among those participating in the strike are optometrists, clinical laboratory scientists, respiratory and X-ray technicians, licensed vocational nurses, certified nursing assistants, surgical technicians, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, medical assistants and housekeepers.
That means some appointments could be canceled over the next two days at Kaiser facilities. Kaiser said that it would reach out to patients to reschedule or convert appointments to phone or video.
“We will not postpone any urgent or emergency care, or critical medical appointments,” Kaiser said.
Some outpatient pharmacies will be temporarily closed through Friday, Kaiser said.
The provider encourages people to use their mail delivery pharmacy.
Kaiser said its proposals to the Local 39 would keep the engineers “among the best compensated in their professions,” with an average of more than $180,000 in total wages and benefits.
“Unfortunately, after many hours bargaining on Tuesday and Wednesday, there is no movement in negotiations with Local 39,” Kaiser said in a statement. “The union insists it receive much more – in some cases nearly 2 times more – than other union agreements covering Kaiser Permanente employees.”
Kaiser said the sympathy strike “will not bring us closer to an agreement” and was unfair to patients.
The latest strike comes after Kaiser announced a tentative deal to avert a pharmacy strike earlier this week.