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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
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Kaiser workers in Oregon poised to strike

With 96% of union members voting to strike, Kaiser says it will fill nursing positions with doctors and managers.

PORTLAND, Ore. (CN) — Kaiser Permanente workers in Oregon have rejected the health care giant's bid to create a two-tiered pay system that workers say is a classic union-busting move.

Ninety-six percent of the thousands of workers polled voted for the strike after prolonged negotiations over cost of living raises, staffing shortages and other concerns failed.

“Our members turned out in record numbers to say that they are willing to do what it takes to save patient care in Oregon,” said Jodi Barschow, a Kaiser nurse and president of the union that represents Kaiser workers, the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals.

The vote clears the way for union leaders to call for a strike at any time, as long as they give 10 days’ notice to the company before walking off the job.

The strike would pull in at least 40,000 workers from unions across the country that are part of the 21-union Alliance of Health Care Unions. The vote comes on the heels of a passionate rally in front of Kaiser’s corporate office in Portland. Attendees included Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagen, along with 32 legislators and over 800 supporters.

One of the main sticking points was the union’s demand that Kaiser address a staffing shortage that the union says has reached “crisis levels.” The company’s response was to offer to create a dual pay system where it would hire new workers at much lower wages that don’t meet union standards. The union said that would only accelerate the staffing shortage and would put union protections in jeopardy for everyone.

“Kaiser’s proposals would be a disaster for Oregon’s entire care system and show a profound disrespect for the frontline healthcare workers who are risking their lives during Covid,” Barschow said.

The failed negotiations left 60% of Kaiser workers ready to leave the company, according to one internal union poll. Forty-two percent said they want to leave health care entirely.

Kaiser said it will use managers and doctors to fill rank-and-file roles.

“In the event of any kind of work stoppage, our facilities will be staffed by our physicians along with trained and experienced managers and contingency staff,” said Arlene Peasnall, Kaiser Permanente’s senior vice president of human resources, in a statement.

Contingency staff like travel nurses are already in short supply, with bidding wars vying for their contracts. And that’s without the political mess represented by crossing a picket line.

One nurse found the company’s plan unrealistic.

“Most managers haven’t done these positions in years, if ever,” said the Kaiser nurse, who did not want her name used. “And our physicians don’t have the organizational understanding or the time to do their job and ours. There’s a reason nurses are the backbone of health care.”

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Categories / Business, Employment, Health

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