More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers have gone on strike for higher wages amid staffing shortages. While hospitals and emergency rooms remain open, the strike is causing delays for appointments and non-urgent procedures, though doctors and many nurses are not on strike.
After 6 months of negotiations between Kaiser and a coalition of unions representing workers across California, Colorado, Washington and Oregon failed to generate an agreement both sides could accept.
The unions represent pharmacists, lab technicians, therapists and housekeepers who play a significant role in the healthcare system’s operations.