San Francisco, United States:
Thousands of wellness care workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities in US states Oregon and California offered a green light Monday for union officials to get in touch with strikes need to contract talks fail.
Sticking points in negotiations appeared to be staffing levels and wages for nurses and other folks who have been on the front line of the pandemic.
“Health care workers are facing record levels of burnout after 20 months of the Covid pandemic,” mentioned Michael Barnett, president of the United Steelworkers neighborhood in Southern California.
Some 31,000 of the group’s members who work at Southern California Kaiser Permanente places voted by an overwhelming majority to authorize union leaders to get in touch with a strike, according to a USW release.
The USW along with the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals represent the workers.
Nearly 3,400 workers at the important US provider’s facilities in Oregon have also voted by a huge majority to strike, according to the Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals there.
“This is an unprecedented strike authorization vote, showing total unity amongst Kaiser workers to stage a strike over issues like safe staffing, patient care, and a fair contract,” the federation mentioned.
With strikes authorized, elected union leaders can inform workers to stroll out at any time, but have to provide 10-day notice to Kaiser.
The Oregon federation of nurses mentioned it was aspect of a 21-union alliance of wellness care workers, a lot of of which have also authorized strikes and could stroll out as effectively.
“We urge Kaiser Permanente management to come to the table and bargain a fair contract that addresses chronic understaffing and safety issues rather than forcing workers into a labor dispute by insisting on dangerous cost-cutting measures,” Barnett mentioned in a release.
Kaiser did not instantly respond to a request for comment.
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