Kaiser is facing the largest healthcare strike in US history. Over 75,000 of the Kaiser staff are on strike.
Kaiser Permanente
The institute is one of the leading not-for-profit healthcare networks in the US. It staffs around 24,000 doctors, 68,000 nurses, 213,000 technicians, administrative staff and clerical workers.
Kaiser works on membership terms with the patients. People pay for this membership to access healthcare services. Kaiser Permanente has more than 12 million combined members over 39 hospitals.
Kaiser saw one of the largest walkouts of healthcare workers in US. That happened on Wednesday, when the Kaiser didn’t meet the deadline set by the union.
The Worker Contract
The healthcare worker’s union asked the company to make a few changes to the new contract. The changes aim to help employed healthcare workers with better work-life balance, living standards and service.
The old contract ended last Saturday, September 30.
The workers are worried that this new contract will significantly burden them. That will hinder their service to the patients. In a way, patients will suffer too. A nurse from the organisation stated that they were understaffed, overworked and underpaid. With one nurse to twenty-six patients, She asks how anyone will give their best. And their best is what their patients deserve.
The problems arose when they faced the worst pandemic of the generation. The front liners faced the most difficulties with patient overload and inflation. The workers took care of members while worrying about their rent and food.
Healthcare Strike
This strike is in Washington, DC and Virginia, but the ripples will affect all the Kaiser hospitals. The Kaiser spokesman has assured the public that the hospitals will remain open, but they may have to wait long for the services.
Nurses and staff are complaining of being worked to their bones. They are saying that they have to witness the frustration of their patients when they rush through their care, but there is no other alternative if they want to manage each patient. Each employee has to shoulder the workload of two or three individuals. No patients can get the best services with a burned-out healthcare team.
Workers are voicing out about the unfair Kaiser labour practices. The salaries they get are not sufficient to live healthily during this inflation. People are worried about losing their homes. They work late, get less sleep and worry about what they will have to face the next day. The staff is squeezed tight, working on fumes and worried about their lives.
Union Demands
The union has kept forward a few demands. The main focus is on increasing wages and hiring more staff. One of the housekeepers, working under the Kaiser flag, stated that she makes $23 and it is not enough to live on. She is doing more work but the pay is not sufficient. Staff have to work over, and they get paid but it severely affects personal time and relationships.
Is it too much to ask for fair salaries and a good work-life balance?
For now, Kaiser Permanente is working on contract and bargaining with workers. They have also urged the workers to stop the strike mentioning their disappointment. They have contingency plans, but a strike will negatively impact the workload and service.
Inflation
A similar strike is happening in the automobile sector. The workers union is demanding better pay and work conditions. They are also concerned about the impact of AI on their jobs. This was the first time when the union struck against three leading automobile companies at the same time.
The pressure of inflation has severely affected all sectors of the profession. The employees are anxious regarding their jobs and salaries.
