![]() ![]() Workers say this shortage in staff has deteriorated the quality of care for Kaiser's patients and harmed employees' well-being. The NPR Politics Podcast The Summer Of Labor Appointment wait times for patients have skyrocketed But she said Kaiser executives "kicked the can down the road," at the same time that the pandemic hit the U.S. Lucas said understaffing was a concern even before the COVID-19 pandemic. "We went from really having a problem on the horizon to having a crisis here and now," Lucas said. An exodus of health care workers due to COVID-19 – coupled with a surge in demand as patients return for routine care they had delayed because of the pandemic – has heightened the severity of the staffing shortage, according to Caroline Lucas, executive director of the union coalition. Staffing crisisīut the Kaiser strike threat is primarily driven by a colossal understaffing crisis. ![]() ![]() Like striking workers in many other industries, they, too are demanding higher pay and better benefits. If workers walk off the job, it would be what their unions describe as the biggest healthcare strike in U.S. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions says it's still far apart from Kaiser on key issues such as pay raises and job protections. A coalition of 12 unions has been in talks with the organization since April to iron out a new contract for its members. Sign up here.Kaiser serves nearly 13 million patients across the U.S. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with our newsletter Reuters Health Rounds. Meanwhile, striking Hollywood actors vowed to hold firm on Thursday in their push for higher compensation and other gains. The United Auto Workers on Wednesday sharply escalated a four-week targeted strike against the Detroit Three automakers by shutting down Ford's biggest plant globally. Its tentative agreement comes a few days after members of the Writers Guild of America approved a new three-year contract after a protracted strike. It serves about 13 million people in eight states and the District of Columbia. medical employers with 24,000 doctors, 68,000 nurses, and 213,000 technicians, clerical workers and administrative staff. 1, a day after the contract expired for 75,000 of the 85,000 workers. The agreement will be effective from Oct. The voting process is expected to begin on Wednesday. The agreement has to be ratified by more than 85,000 Kaiser Permanente employees. Su had taken part in those talks as well as the ones this week. Spokespersons for the company and the union met on Thursday at a San Francisco Bay-area hotel, more than a week after contract talks broke off at the start of the 72-hour strike. medical workers left their jobs during the pandemic, causing an acute staffing crunch across the sector and leaving employees that stayed behind feeling overworked and underpaid.Įmployees of pharmacies and other hospital chains like Tenet Healthcare have recently also said they are considering labor actions. The union had said Kaiser would need to hire 10,000 new healthcare workers to fill current vacancies. It also enhances payout for employees under a performance-sharing plan and commits to initiatives to address a staffing crisis, including increased training, education and mass hiring events. The agreement, which must be ratified by union membership, provides guaranteed across-the-board wage increases totaling 21% over four years. On Friday, it said it had withdrawn official notice for that action. The Kaiser union coalition had threatened to strike again for a week starting Nov. "I’m heartened to see healthcare workers and their employers take this critical step towards securing the pay, benefits, and working conditions these heroes deserve," President Joe Biden said in a statement. The Biden administration's term has been marked by labor unrest in several industries, including by striking autoworkers, writers and actors. Labor Secretary Julie Su took part in the negotiations, including during two all-night sessions over a 36-hour period, she said during a media briefing on Friday. ![]() New minimum wages will reach $25 per hour in California for union-represented employees over three years, and $23 per hour in other states where the company operates, a joint statement by the union and the company said.Īcting U.S. The strike was the largest recorded among medical workers and included nurses, medical technicians and support staff at hundreds of Kaiser hospitals and clinics from California to Virginia. ![]()
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