TL/DR –
Over 31,000 nurses and healthcare professionals in California and Hawaii are striking against Kaiser Permanente, demanding better working conditions and patient care. Complaints include unsafe staffing levels, appointment overbooking that causes significant patient delays, and being asked to do more with fewer resources while the company reports $9.3 billion in profits and $76 billion in reserves. Four weeks into the strike, the workers are maintaining solidarity and fighting for the future of their profession.
Kaiser Permanente Nurses and Health Professionals Strike for Better Conditions
A labor dispute involving over 31,000 nurses and healthcare professionals has entered its fourth week against Kaiser Permanente, in California and Hawaii. The strikers, members of UNAC/UHCP, an AFSCME affiliate, are demanding improved conditions for care providers and patients, safer staffing levels, and access to timely, quality care.
Strikers report that Kaiser frequently overbooks patients, causing delays and hindering patients from timely access to their healthcare providers. Marla Hunt, a registered nurse at Kaiser West Los Angeles, shared her disappointment in the declining quality of care, citing her 38 years of service. “The Kaiser I came to cared about patients and nurses… now, they want us to work more with less. And patients suffer,” Hunt said.
Despite Kaiser’s own financial reporting indicating $9.3 billion in profits and over $76 billion in reserves last year, the healthcare giant insists on its inability to safely staff its hospitals. As the strike extends into its fourth week, UNAC/UHCP members are supporting each other in their stand against the healthcare giant.
Giana Valenzuela, a registered nurse at Kaiser West Los Angeles, emphasizes the importance of solidarity during these trying times. “We’ve been encouraging each other, communicating with each other, and reminding each other of what we’re fighting for,” Valenzuela said. Marla Hunt adds, “I’m fighting for the nurses in the future because if we don’t fight now, it’s going to get worse.”
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