OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — Thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers across California and Hawaii are walking off the job after contract negotiations broke down last month.
Contract negotiations restarted this weekend – but not in time to avoid Monday’s action, which is set to continue until an agreement is reached.
A total of 31,000 employees represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) will take part in the work stoppage, which will include picketing at several Kaiser locations, including some in Northern California and the Bay Area.
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Kaiser says its latest offer includes a 21% wage increase.
Union workers are also demanding better staffing and improved workplace safety.
“We just want to see some reinvestment to our unit going forward,” said Brian Nitta, president of the Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses. “And again, that’s where the difference in terms of increases in salary are is that we are apart on a few percent. And we would like to see a recognition of all the things that we brought to the table to make the profitability in the last several years.”
Kaiser called off negotiations just before Christmas after accusing a union official of trying to blackmail them by claiming to have evidence of illegal and unethical information about Kaiser and threatening to release it if an agreement wasn’t reached.
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In a statement yesterday, Kaiser said: “Our focus remains on reaching agreements that recognize the vital contributions of our employees while ensuring excellent, affordable care.”
If you have an appointment while this strike is going on, Kaiser says most appointments will continue uninterrupted. They’ll contact members in advance if an appointment needs to change.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
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