By Adam Pagnucco.
Kaiser Permanente is one of the largest health care providers in the Washington-Baltimore region as well as many other parts of the country. And now it looks like its unions may strike, if only temporarily.
Last week, a labor coalition representing tens of thousands of Kaiser employees threatened to walk out on October 4-6 if they do not reach an agreement with their employer by the end of this week. One of those labor organizations is Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2, which represents 3,800 Kaiser employees in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. We reprint its statement of September 18 below, in which it explains its issues with Kaiser and elaborates on its strike threat. Notably, the union claims authorization by its members to strike for up to two weeks.
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KAISER: WE ARE READY TO STRIKE!
The results are in – An overwhelming 98% voted YES to an Unfair Labor Practice strike.
OPEIU Local 2 members at Kaiser Permanente have made their voices heard. We will take action if Kaiser Permanente does not come to the bargaining table to properly address our priorities – including staffing, patient care, and a consistent national wage increase to reward and retain our healthcare workers. The pandemic’s journey has brought our membership to this point. No healthcare worker came out unscathed. Work-life balance does not exist for the Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers. This, compounded by historical inflation rates, has created the perfect storm.
This past week saw an overwhelming majority of workers turnout with 98% casting “yes” votes in support of the strike. While we do not want to strike, if Kaiser continues to refuse to invest in patient care and frontline caregivers by hiring more staff, by adjusting staff to patient ratios, and by settling a contract that includes livable wages that keep up with inflation, WE ARE READY!
KAISER, YOU CAN AFFORD TO DO BETTER!
What are Next Steps?
We have one more national bargaining session scheduled for September 21-22. Kaiser can prevent a potential unfair labor practice strike by coming to the table to bargain in good faith. Kaiser cannot keep lowering our members’ standard of living and expect to recruit and maintain staff. With this vote, our elected bargaining team has the ability to call for up to a two-week strike after September 30th. Our goal continues to be to reach a fair contract.
ARE YOU READY TO TAKE ACTION?
If we all work together, there’s no stopping us! You can join the effort by communicating regularly with your stewards, strike captains, and activists. Walk the departments with them to build support. Stand in solidarity with your sisters, brothers, and siblings. Talk to your patients when they ask you about what is going on.
For weeks, Kaiser Permanente has and is continuing to send messages to employees telling them to reject a strike – but our membership saw through the propaganda. These messages do not reflect the reality of our membership.
Kaiser Permanente’s million-dollar executives are claiming we are overpaid and want to destabilize our workforce. Outrageously, they are pushing a wage proposal that fails to recognize the value of our work and fails to keep up with the cost of living. They want to remove protections against subcontracting and outsourcing jobs to low-wage, for-profit companies, creating less stability in the workforce.
Kaiser Permanente executives are ignoring the fact that we have been the backbone of Kaiser and risked our lives to care for our patients. We are struggling more and more to keep up with the rising cost of living.
It has become increasingly clear that going on strike may be the only way to address Kaiser’s unfair labor practices and win a strong contract that protects our jobs, provides quality staffing, and pays a living wage!
A STRIKE IS A SACRIFICE
That is part of its power. It is a last resort after Kaiser executives have refused efforts to resolve issues and treat workers fairly. It would mean we give Kaiser management a 10-day notice of when we are planning to strike, and then not working for Kaiser during the period of a strike. We will withhold our valuable labor to protest Kaiser Permanente’s unfair treatment.
The strike will show Kaiser and the community that we care enough about our patients and our future to make a real sacrifice. If we don’t make a short-term sacrifice, we will pay much more in the long-term effects on patient care, with raises that do not keep up with the cost of living, bonuses lost, and possibly even our jobs, if Kaiser wins the right to subcontract our work.
Kaiser Permanente is raking in billions in profits annually, has over $113 billion in investments, paying their executives millions, and giving bonuses to managers while denying them to those who provided the care on the front lines during the pandemic. They are disrespecting each and every one of us.
By taking collective action, we would take a powerful stand for respect. We would strike with other unions in our Coalition. Remember that we are 85,000 strong and this is a nationwide strike. We are striking to protest Kaiser’s unfair labor practices, to improve patient care and staffing, to improve our families’ standard of living, retirement, affordable healthcare, education funds, and job security.
We are asking that every member lead by example proactively building unity, confidence, and solidarity in your department. Stand up publicly.
WHAT’S NEXT?
1. Rock the blue on September 21 & 22 – show your Union colors in solidarity.
Concerted activity is a legally protected class of action when two or more workers act together to better their pay or working conditions. Wearing a t-shirt with the union logo is a protected “concerted” group activity under Section 7 of the National Labor Relation Act (NLRA). Section 7 guarantees employees the right to band together and bargain collectively regarding wages, hours and working conditions.
- Those of you not in scrubs, show your solidarity and wear blue shirts with your buttons.
- Those of you in scrubs, wear a blue t-shirt under your scrubs.
- Be sure to pin one of your buttons or place a sticker on your blue shirt.
2. Wear your buttons and stickers.
3. Make sure your steward has your personal cell phone number and personal email address. These will be the essential methods of communication during bargaining and strike updates for each bargaining unit.
4. Use the Union background and signature line on your screen if you are a remote worker. (Soon to be linked to this site).