Thousands of healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente are on strike

(OCTOBER 6, 2023) Kaiser Permanente is a healthcare provider in Oregon and Southwest Washington. It is warning patients about potential service delays. The reason is a strike by around 4,000 of its workers. The strike is led by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). This group includes certified nursing assistants, lab staff, housekeeping staff, dental assistants, and others. This strike comes on top of existing staff shortages as pharmacy technicians and warehouse workers also started their strike on October 1st. 

Kaiser says that critical care services are expected to continue without disruption. However,  less urgent appointments and elective (optional) surgeries may need to be rescheduled. Kaiser is implementing alternative plans. But it advises patients to be prepared for longer wait times during the strike.

The ongoing strike by pharmacy workers has already led to the temporary closure of some outpatient pharmacies. Kaiser says it is working to ensure that patients can still access their medications. For example, it has partnerships with pharmacies. It is also keeping hospital and urgent care clinic pharmacies open. 

This strike is unusual for Kaiser. The healthcare provider has a history of close relations with its unions. It has generally avoided strikes since the 1990s. The unions involved in the strike are part of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions. They argue that ongoing understaffing at Kaiser has negatively affected patients and working conditions. Kaiser maintains that it offers competitive pay (salaries) and benefits (like health insurance or vacation). However, it  faces challenges due to industry-wide burnout following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The local strike is part of a larger strike in other states, too. In fact, 75,000 health care workers have gone on strike in five U.S. states. This affects 39 hospitals in the U.S., which serve around 13 million people.