More than 75,000 employees of Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest hospital systems in the United States, began a three-day strike on Wednesday to demand better working conditions.
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This must be the most important movement to shake up the country’s health care system, said the union coalition, which called for the strike to denounce “unfair labor practices,” particularly in California, Oregon, Virginia and Washington.
The move has already begun on the East Coast and is expected to expand later today to the West Coast, where the majority of the group’s workforce is based.
“This is a difficult decision and we know it requires sacrifice from all of us, but Kaiser leaders continue to negotiate in bad faith the solutions we urgently need to solve the shortage crisis. “Kaiser employees and the safety and well-being of our patients and workers are at stake,” the coalition said recently.
“This is the largest health care workers strike in U.S. history,” she said. And if workers’ demands are not met, a new strike could be organized in November, she warned.
Trade unions are demanding, among other things, salary increases and protection against outsourcing of services.
Kaiser Permanente said it was “disappointed” by the strike call and planned to keep its medical centers open during the strike. However, longer waiting times are to be expected, the company said.