75,000 Healthcare Workers Strike at Kaiser Permanente
Summary from the AllSides News Team
More than 75,000 workers at the nation’s largest healthcare nonprofit went on strike in five states on Wednesday, marking the largest healthcare strike in recent history.
The Details: Kaiser Permanente said it was prepared to care for patients while nurses, technicians, pharmacists, and workers in hundreds of other positions walked out at Kaiser hospitals and medical offices in California, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, Washington state, and Washington, D.C.
The Controversy: The workers are asking for Kaiser to accept a proposal to address staffing shortages, as well as a 24.5% raise over four years. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions accused Kaiser executives of “bad faith bargaining,” saying the company made “$3 billion in profits in the first six months of this year.” Kaiser said it was committed to a fair and equitable agreement, but added that “we are still in a health care crisis in this country” and “it will take time to recover as an industry and stabilize the U.S. health care system.”
For Context: The United Auto Workers strike, which captured the attention of the media as well as current and former presidents, has so far only engaged 25,000 of the UAW’s roughly 146,000 members — about one-third the size of the Kaiser strike.
How the Media Covered It: Some headlines potentially sensationalized the story by emphasizing that the walkout was the “largest healthcare strike in U.S. history.” Fox Business (Lean Right bias) appeared to quote Kaiser’s statement more directly than other sources.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
75,000 union health care workers at Kaiser Permanente go on strike
More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees walked off the job on Wednesday in what their union representatives say is the largest strike of health care workers in U.S. history.
A coalition of labor unions representing the workers notified the company last month that it planned to carry out a three-day strike starting Wednesday at 6:00 a.m. PT if a new contract was not reached in time. The previous contract expired Saturday.
The strike will impact hundreds of hospitals spanning several states, with picket lines in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C....
From the Center
More than 75,000 workers strike at hundreds of Kaiser Permanente health facilities across U.S.
More than 75,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente — the nation’s largest health-care nonprofit organization — went on strike Wednesday at hospitals and medical offices in five states after the company and labor negotiators failed to resolve a dispute over staffing levels.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions says the work stoppage is the largest strike of health-care workers in U.S. history.
The strike targets Kaiser hospitals and medical offices in California, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, the District of Columbia and Washington. Kaiser Permanente serves nearly 13 million patients and operates 39 hospitals and more than 600 medical offices across eight states...
From the Left
Kaiser Workers Launch Largest-Ever US Health Care Strike
More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers began striking Wednesday morning, threatening to interrupt one of the nation’s largest health-care providers and adding to a months-long series of labor disruptions across the US economy.
The three-day strike could stall services for nearly 13 million people in at least half a dozen states. It’s expected to shut down nonessential services such as routine doctor’s visits as radiology technicians, pharmacy technicians, dental assistants, optometrists, and hundreds of other support staff take to picket lines. Hospitals and emergency services will continue to function through...
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