31,000 nurses, hospital staff to strike against Kaiser

"More than 31,000 union nurses and hospital staff sent a strike notice to Kaiser Permanente on Friday indicating their intent to walk off their jobs with the Oakland-based healthcare system on Oct. 14. RELATED: A crisis': Sutter Health workers authorize strike over staffing shortages The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals said it would be their largest strike against Kaiser, with tens of thousands of nurses and healthcare professionals striking at two dozen hospitals and clinics across California and Hawaii."

"The union is seeking higher wages, better benefits and hiring more employees to fill staffing shortages, Charmaine Morales, president of UNAC/UHCP, said in a statement. This strike is about protecting patients as much as it is about protecting caregivers, Morales said. Kaiser executives cannot keep expanding while ignoring the crisis inside their hospitals. Our message is clear: invest in the people who provide care, or face the consequences of a workforce that refuses to stay silent."

"Members of the Alliance of Health Care Unions will join picket lines in California, Hawaii and Oregon. The Alliance includes 62,000 union members working at Kaiser nationwide. The contracts of 46,000 of these Kaiser workers expired Sept. 30 or Oct. 1, and nearly all of their local unions have given Kaiser 10-day strike notices. The vast majority of union members work in California, where one in four residents receive care from Kaiser."

More than 31,000 union nurses and hospital staff sent a strike notice to Kaiser Permanente indicating intent to strike on Oct. 14. UNAC/UHCP plans what it describes as its largest strike, with tens of thousands of nurses and healthcare professionals targeting two dozen hospitals and clinics across California and Hawaii. UNAC/UHCP seeks higher wages, better benefits and increased hiring to address staffing shortages. Members of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, representing 62,000 nationwide, will join picket lines in California, Hawaii and Oregon. Contracts for about 46,000 Kaiser workers expired Sept. 30 or Oct. 1, and many local unions issued the required 10-day strike notices.

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