Who Is The Better President? Trump or Biden?
In Other News
Kaiser Permanente Braces for Potential Historic Health Care Strike
The Union Coalition representing Kaiser Permanente, which includes over 85,000 health care professionals across seven states and the District of Columbia, announced on Sunday that negotiations with the health organization had stalled. This could pave the way for the most significant health care strike the U.S. has ever seen later this week.
As the clock ticked down to the contract’s expiration, the union highlighted significant differences with Kaiser Permanente on key matters such as uniform pay hikes, retirement health plans, and safeguards against subcontracting and outsourcing.
The union expressed its disappointment on Saturday, stating, “Kaiser’s negotiation approach has been less than sincere, and we’re yet to see a promising resolution.”
The union’s national negotiation team had already given Kaiser Permanente a heads-up on September 22, warning of a strike starting Wednesday morning if no consensus is reached.
The potential strike could involve over 75,000 health care professionals from various states, marking it as the most extensive health care strike in U.S. history. The union has also prepped its leaders on managing picket lines for the strike, which might extend until early October.
Kaiser Permanente stands as the U.S.’s premier nonprofit health care provider, boasting profits of over $3 billion in the first half of 2023.
While the union and Kaiser Permanente seem to be at odds, Kaiser mentioned that they’ve made headway on several issues and are hopeful about reaching an agreement before the proposed strike date.
The last contract between the two parties was inked in 2019, just before health care workers became the pandemic’s frontline warriors, grappling with increasingly challenging work conditions.
The union is urging Kaiser to address concerns related to inadequate staffing and perceived unjust labor practices. A recent survey indicated that a significant portion of health care workers observed care delays due to understaffing.
Kaiser responded by highlighting its recruitment of over 50,000 frontline staff in the past two years, with a significant portion represented by the union. They also emphasized their commitment to hiring 10,000 new individuals for union-represented roles by the end of 2023.
On the wage front, Kaiser asserts its leading position in total compensation across all its operational markets. Their current proposal to the union includes wage hikes and a proposed minimum wage structure for various states starting in 2024.
Despite the looming strike, Kaiser assures that its operations will proceed as usual, with hospitals and emergency rooms remaining operational. They’ve also prepared backup plans to ensure uninterrupted patient care during the strike.
