Workers are demanding the nation’s largest nonprofit, private health care provider address low staffing levels
By Physician’s Briefing Staff HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) — A tentative deal has been reached between Kaiser Permanente and its 75,000 health care workers following a three-day strike last week.
“The frontline health care workers of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are excited to have reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente,” union officials posted Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We are excited to have reached a tentative agreement with the frontline health care workers of the @UnionCoalition this morning. We are thankful for the instrumental involvement of Acting U.S. Labor Secretary [Julie Su],” Kaiser Permanente said in an X post.
Health care workers who serve millions of Americans began the three-day strike after contract negotiations over staffing levels stalled. The union represents medical assistants, surgical and lab technicians, and pharmacists, among other staffers. Along with staffing levels, pay and benefits are an issue, CNBC reported.
The strike targeted Kaiser hospitals and medical offices in California, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Washington state. Employees in Kaiser’s Georgia facilities were not affected. Kaiser Permanente serves nearly 13 million patients and operates 39 hospitals and more than 600 medical offices across the United States.
Kaiser generated $25 billion in revenue in the second quarter of 2023. It reported $2 billion in profit for the quarter, up from a loss of $1.2 billion during same quarter in 2022, CNBC reported.
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