What to know as thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees go on strike
Talks between Kaiser Permanente and more than 75,000 striking health care and support workers broke off without a settlement.
The workers walked off the job in five states Wednesday morning even as lengthy talks continued through the day over union demands for better pay and improved staffing.
Kaiser said in a statement Wednesday afternoon the two sides reached agreement on some unspecified issues but had not reached a new pact. The nonprofit health provider and insurer said it would coordinate with union leaders and restart talks as soon as possible.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions said Wednesday night there are no bargaining sessions scheduled and "frontline healthcare workers are awaiting a meaningful response from Kaiser executives" over union demands for pay raises, staffing and protections from outsourcing jobs.
Why are Kaiser employees on strike?
The coalition said the walkout is to protest "unfair labor practices and unsafe staffing levels" at Kaiser hospitals and facilities. The unions have demanded improved staffing and across-the-board raises over the next four years.
Among their asks − a $25 per hour minimum wage for workers.
What does Kaiser Permanante do?
Oakland, California-based Kaiser combines health insurance coverage and health care services for nearly 13 million people in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and Washington D.C. Kaiser's coordinated model is different than most health insurance companies, which charge employers and consumers premiums and negotiate rates with networks of doctors, hospitals and other health providers.
Kaiser members pay dues to access care that is coordinated across Kaiser's hospitals and outpatient clinics.
Workers remain off the job in California, Colorado, Washington and Oregon
Early Wednesday, employees formed strike lines to picket outside Kaiser hospitals and medical offices in California, Colorado, Washington and Oregon during the planned three-day action, union officials said. Workers in Virginia and Washington, D.C. launched a one-day strike and returned to work Thursday.
The vast majority of striking workers are in California, where employees formed picket lines outside more than three dozen hospitals and facilities in the San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento area, Central Valley and Southern California.
Striking employees include vocational nurses and certified nursing assistants, technicians who assist with X-rays and other imaging to diagnose disease, optometrists, surgery and pharmacy technicians, respiratory therapists, medical and dental assistants, behavioral health workers, dietary workers, call center and teleservice workers, housekeepers and others.
How will the Kaiser strike affect patient care?
Kaiser officials have warned the strike could delay care for some of the health system's patients. Hospitals and emergency rooms remain open. Without a deal, Kaiser said, it has "robust plans in place to ensure members continue to receive safe, high-quality care."
Doctors are not part of the strike and Kaiser has added thousands of contract workers to supplement staff this week during the strike, Kaiser said in a statement.
Some non-emergency and elective services might be rescheduled, Kaiser said, adding that affected patients will be contacted about any rescheduled appointments.
Union demands: Better pay, bonuses, health reimbursement
The unions want Kaiser to improve staffing levels that became stretched during the COVID-19 pandemic and address cost-of-living increases in their wages and benefits, union officials told USA TODAY.
The Kaiser unions are seeking a four-year pact with pay hikes of 7% during the first two years and 6.25% in years three and four. The unions want workers to earn a minimum performance bonus of $1,500, even if Kaiser does not meet its financial goals.
In addiiton to the minimum wage proposal, workers demands include:
∎ Preserving existing health benefits and a fund of $2,500 per year for health care reimbursement accounts.
∎ Fixed retirement plans with no new loopholes or plan changes.
Kaiser made these concessions
In a statement, Kaiser said it has offered across-the-board wage increases in all markets over the next four years. It has proposed a minimum wage of $25 per hour in California and $23 per hour in other states by 2026. The nonprofit health provider proposes a minimum wage of $21 an hour in Washington state, Oregon, Colorado, Virginia, Maryland, Hawaii and Washington, D.C.
The health provider also said it has proposed a minimum bonus and the potential to earn up to a $3,750 bonus. Kaiser said it has made proposals for health benefits and retirement income plans as well as funding tuition assistance, training programs and education trusts.
Ken Alltucker is on X, formerly Twitter, at @kalltucker, or can be emailed at alltuck@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kaiser strike: Why more than 75,000 workers walked off the job
