Kaiser Permanente healthcare strike could disrupt vaccine and prescription access

The Kaiser strike is expected to span three days, as healthcare workers join picket lines across the country to protest staffing shortages

75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers are officially on strike

The largest health worker strike went into effect on Wednesday morning, as an agreement between 75,000 healthcare workers and Kaiser Permanente hospitals has yet to be reached.

The strike began on 4 October at 6am PT as the workers — nurses, radiology technicians, pharmacists, sonographers and others — are striking “to protest unfair labor practices and unsafe staffing levels,” according to the latest release from SEIU-UHW, a union that is part of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.

The strike will take place across the country in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington DC and is expected to last three days.

The strike comes after failed negotiations following the workers’ contract expiring on 30 September.

Early on Wednesday, Kaiser Permanente also issued a statement on the progress, saying the two parties are “still at the bargaining table, having worked through the night in an effort to reach an agreement. There has been a lot of progress, with agreements reached on several specific proposals late Tuesday.”

But the coalition was singing to a different tune. “No agreement can be made until Kaiser executives stop bargaining in bad faith and committing unfair labor practices,” said, Caroline Lucas, executive director of the coalition.

The jury is still out on the exact effects the walkout has on patient care, although reports predict vaccine access, prescriptions being filled, and lab testing could be disrupted.

Key Points

• What is the strike about?
• Who is going on strike at Kaiser Permanente?
• When is the Kaiser strike and when does it end?

[5 October 2023 00:00 · Kelly Rissman]

What members of Congress are saying

Sen Bernie Sanders wrote: “I stand in solidarity with the 75,000 health care workers at Kaiser Permanente who are fighting for safe staffing ratios & better wages, benefits & working conditions. If Kaiser can afford to pay its CEO over $15.4 million it can afford to treat all of its workers with respect.”

Congresswoman Cori Bush posted, “Today, 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers walked off the job, becoming the largest healthcare strike in US history. I stand in solidarity with them in their fight.”

Sen Jeff Merkley also said, “I’m supporting striking Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in Oregon and across the country who are negotiating for quality patient care and for what should be standard in all healthcare workplaces — safe staffing levels.”

Sen Michael Bennet voiced his support for the strikers as well, “Our health care workers save lives every day, and their hard work deserves to be rewarded. As nearly 3,000 @SEIU105 and Kaiser Permanente workers in Colorado go on strike, I stand with them in their fight for fair wages and better working conditions.”

[5 October 2023 01:00 · Kelly Rissman]

What is the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions saying?

Statement from Caroline Lucas, Executive Director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions:

Given the urgency of Kaiser’s staffing crisis, frontline healthcare workers are ready to sit down with Kaiser executives whenever they’re ready to bargain in good faith — including up until the scheduled strike start time. However, no agreement can be made until Kaiser executives stop bargaining in bad faith and committing unfair labor practices.

Tens of thousands of frontline Kaiser healthcare workers across the country are ready for an unfair labor practice strike at 6 a.m. tomorrow. Patients and workers need dramatic action now to solve the Kaiser short staffing crisis and to ensure our patients’ safety.

With hours left before our strike, both management and union negotiators are on stand-by waiting for Kaiser executives to resolve their internal debate about whether to do what it takes to reach an agreement or force the largest healthcare worker strike in US history.

[5 October 2023 02:00 · Kelly Rissman]

A California nurse weighs in

Catherine Kennedy, RN and a president of California Nurses Association (CNA) discussed the current Kaiser situation:

Registered nurses and members of CNA/NNOC at Kaiser Permanente stand in solidarity with the striking workers, who are demanding the health care giant invest its profits back into patient care. RNs know the devastating impacts of Kaiser’s manufactured staffing crisis on patient care, including delays in care and lack of access.

Just this year, Kaiser has made more than $3 billion in profits, and yet hospitals and clinics remain short-staffed. Rather than invest in direct, hands-on patient care, Kaiser is spending millions of dollars on outsourcing schemes that remove patients from the hospital. Executives are also diverting profits from patient care to acquire health systems in other states.

CNA/NNOC Kaiser nurses are supporting their colleagues this week by holding actions inside and outside their hospitals. We call on Kaiser to settle a fair contract that respects workers and patients.

[5 October 2023 03:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Former Secretary of Labor weighs in on the labor strike

[5 October 2023 04:00 · Kelly Rissman]

What is the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions?

The coalition is made up a number of unions — 85,000 members — across the country at Kaiser facilities. Here are the unions, where they are located and who they represent:

• SEIU-UHW — CaliforniaMembership: 57,443 — Medical assistants, medical social workers, information technology workers, environmental service workers, surgical technicians, food professionals, unit assistants and other health care professionals
• SEIU Local 1199NW — Seattle, WashingtonMembership: 2,917 — Registered nurses, physical and occupational therapists, social workers and service professionals
• SEIU Local 121RN — Southern CaliforniaMembership: 354 — Registered nurses
• SEIU Local 105 — Greater Denver area, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, PuebloMembership: 3,050 — Health care and property care workers, including member services representatives, licensed practical nurses, coding technicians, receptionists, cardiology technicians, pharmacy clerks and couriers
• SEIU Local 49 — Oregon and Southwest WashingtonMembership: 4,800 — Service and clerical workers, including environmental services, gardeners, food service workers, cashiers, lab techs, dental clerks, phlebotomists, gardeners, certified nursing assistants, clerks, schedulers, coordinators, and more
• OPEIU Local 50 — HawaiiMembership: 50 — Registered Nurses
• OPEIU Local 30 — San Diego CountyMembership: 4,916 — Administrative, service, maintenance, and accounting workers, including licensed vocational nurses (LVN), physical therapy assistants, medical transcriptionists, orthopedic technicians, ophthalmic technologists
• OPEIU Local 29 — Northern CaliforniaMembership: 2,550 — Administrative, service, maintenance, and accounting workers
• OPEIU Local 8 — Seattle, WashingtonMembership: 1,044 — Offices, hospitals, clinics, social services, housing, home care, credit unions, the insurance industry, and the public sector
• OPEIU Local 2 — District of Columbia, Maryland, VirginiaMembership: 4,763 — Health care and administrative; including member services representatives, coding technicians, receptionists, licensed practical nurses, clinical assistants, surgical assistants, urgent care technologists, cardiology technologists, physical therapist assistants, radiology technologists, MRI technologists, bone density technologists, sonographers, laboratory clerks, pathology assistants, lab specimen processors, ophthalmology assistants, opticians, optometrists, pharmacists, clinical pharmacists, pharmacy clerks, telemedicine support, referral management assistant, SNF placement coordinator, facility services assistant, secretary, accountants
• IFPTE Local 20 — Northern CaliforniaMembership: 1,517 — Clinical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, optometrists and optometric assistants, genetic counselors, home health physical, occupational, and speech therapists

[5 October 2023 05:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Where the negotiations stood when the contract expired

On 30 September, the coalition posted where Kaiser fell compared to the group of unions on a number of issues. Here’s what they said:

• Across-the-Board Raises (ATBs): A fair and equitable across-the-board pay increase for every member of our Coalition. We have held to our proposal for 6.5%, 6.5%, 5.75%, 5.75%. Kaiser is continuing to offer only 3%, 3%, 3%, 3% for SCAL/NW/CO/MAS/HI and 4%, 4%, 3%, 3% for NCAL/KPWA.
• Protections against Subcontracting and Outsourcing: While Kaiser has finally agreed to extend our hard-won protections against subcontracting and outsourcing, they are insisting on removing the Revenue Cycle workforce from that agreement. They want to outsource the revenue cycle function the way that other health systems have done.
• Applying the Partnership to Acquisitions: We continue to insist that Kaiser apply the principles of Partnership and the right to organize a union to any system they acquire. Kaiser wants to grow a non-union, low-wage/low-benefit arm of the company through acquisitions. This threatens all of our wages and benefits over the long run.
• PSP Bonus: We need Kaiser to come up from their low offer of $750 max if we make our goals but they don’t meet their financial target. We also need a plan structure that allows us to meet the maximum payout.
• Premium Subsidy/HRA Retiree Medical: We are seeking modest improvements to the premium subsidy/HRA retiree medical plan that we will be transitioning to in 2028 based on the feedback of members who are already under that plan. Kaiser is not agreeing to this even though it was the Coalition that helped Kaiser reduce its accounting liability in 2015 by restructuring our retiree medical plan.

[5 October 2023 06:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Kaiser health plan representative discusses the stress of the staffing shortage

Tami Chew said that she has personally felt her role become more strained over the years due to the “deteriorating” partnership between the coalition and Kaiser. That gradual change became dramatic three years ago, she said, when her team of 13 people was slashed to six; now she is the only person still serving on the team from that time.

The reduced staff has exacerbated the burden on her team to produce results at a rate that is impossible to keep up. In a role like hers, delivering results quickly is crucial. Ms Chew said she often deals with patients who are at risk of losing a limb or their life, so “those decisions need to be made by the organisation within 72 hours.”

Read the full story

[5 October 2023 07:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Have similar strikes happened before?

Burnout in the healthcare field has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic overwhelmed workers and overran facilities.

Last year, 15,000 members of the Minnesota Nurses Association went on strike for three days in the state over staffing shortages, pay, and safety concerns. Earlier this year, in another part of the country, roughly 7,000 members of the New York State Nurses Association went on strike over pay and staffing complaints.

[5 October 2023 08:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Footage on the ground

[5 October 2023 09:00 · Kelly Rissman]

How does the strike affect patients?

Kaiser serves nearly 13 million patients, who will remain a “top priority” as the strike goes into effect, the statement said.

Kaiser hospitals will remain open even in the event of a strike. The hospital system explained, “Our facilities will continue to be staffed by our physicians, trained and experienced managers, and staff, and in some cases we will augment with contingent workers.”

However, some fear that the strike could lead to disruptions in vaccine administration. “The bigger issue is how long the strike will be. If it goes beyond three days, then I think we are looking at more disruptions and more difficulties for people to get the COVID-19 vaccine and other care services they need,” Janet Coffman, professor at the Healthforce Center at UCSF, told KQED.

In an effort to try to quash those concerns, Kaiser told the outlet: “Since the FDA authorized the updated COVID-19 vaccine, large-scale distribution has been a challenge for vaccine providers nationwide, including Kaiser Permanente. However, we have now received our supply and expect a consistent supply of the vaccine going forward.”