Week 4: Kaiser says 40% of striking workers are back at work
As the Kaiser labor strike enters its fourth week, the healthcare giant is estimating that 40% of its 31,000 union registered nurses and workers have begun returning to work.
On Monday, Feb. 16, the Oakland-based company said about 12,400 striking employees were back at work in California and Hawaii, with as many as 58% of staff returning to work in some locations.
“Those are Kaiser’s numbers and that’s Kaiser’s narrative,” said Anjetta Thackeray, a spokeswoman with the United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals, or UNAC/UHCP. “The one number that Kaiser refuses to talk about is the $67 billion it has in reserves to settle this contract in a manner that best suits staffing and patient care needs.”
The union has disputed Kaiser’s claims that a significant number of its members had crossed picket lines and returned to work — some of whom have talked about the financial hardships of striking.
Also see: Nurses dig into rainy day funds to keep Kaiser strike going
Kaiser spokesman Terry Kanakri declined to identify the medical facilities where the highest volume of returning workers are located.
An alliance of some 31,000 workers with UNAC/UHCP walked off the job Jan. 26. The strike is open-ended until the health care giant and union alliance reach a contract agreement.
About 3,000 pharmacy and lab workers with the United Food and Commercial Workers union in Southern California returned to work Thursday, Feb. 12 after joining the UNAC/UHCP strike for three days.
The UFCW locals in Southern California represent Kaiser’s pharmacy assistants and technicians, clinical lab scientists, medical lab technicians, and clinical and administrative workers at Southern California medical facilities. The contract covering pharmacy employees expired Nov. 1, while the contract covering union clinical and medical laboratory specialists expired Feb. 1.
The two sides are negotiating to replace a five-year contract that expired Sept. 30. The union is seeking higher wages and benefits, plus more hiring to fill staffing shortages. It initially sought a 38% pay hike over four years and is now seeking a 25% raise.
On Feb. 23, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 501 are expected to begin a three-day strike against Kaiser due to an unfair labor practice complaint it filed against Kaiser for refusing to bargain in good faith. The 500 faclitiies maintenance workers across 17 Kaiser locations in Southern California recently delivered a 10-day notice to Kaiser excutives.
The nearly five-year IUOE Local 501 agreement with Kaiser began Oct. 1, 2021, and expires June 30, 2026, according to Karina Ochoa, a union spokeswoman.
The union represents operating engineers at Kaiser facilities, fire system operators, field service engineers, repair technicians, biomedical equipment technicians, and maintenance assistants and “tool crib” attendants who watch over inventory of tools and equipment.