Thousands of Kaiser nurses, healthcare workers on strike

S1: Well , welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman on today's show , the latest as Kaiser health care workers continue their strike for better working conditions and fair labor practices. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. So thousands of Kaiser Permanente nurses and health care workers across California and Hawaii are on strike. They're alleging unfair labor practices amid prolonged contract talks. The union says more than 2000 workers are on strike in San Diego. Heidi DeMarco has been covering this. She's KPBS health reporter. And Heidi joins me now. Heidi , welcome.

S2: Thanks for having me.

S1: Glad to have you on.

S2: So basically the people that you see when you go in for care. Yeah.

S1: Yeah.

S2: They filed a unfair labor practice charge , and they say it's about forcing the company back to the bargaining table.

S1: So it's not just about wages. The union is really frustrated over staffing issues too , right ? Right.

S2: That's a big point. Kaiser says this is about pay , but the health care workers I've interviewed say the bigger issue is staffing , having enough people and resources to safely care for patients. You know , they say they're burnt out and stretched thin.

S1: Well , earlier this morning we actually spoke with union representative Vanessa Caballero. She called us from the Kaiser San Marcos picket line. And here's what she told us about staffing.

S3:

S1:

S2: So you're right. Since since Covid , a lot of workers say the system never really recovered and they're still being asked to do a lot more with less.

S1: So bringing it back to to this strike.

S2: Their latest offer includes more than a 21% wage increase over four years. And they call this strike unnecessary. They say hospitals and most clinics will stay open with temporary staff , but some appointments may be delayed or moved to virtual care.

S1:

S2: It was a shorter walkout , and the negotiations continued afterward , but ultimately stalled again , which is why we're seeing another strike just a few months later.

S1: Well , last week , Kaiser filed a lawsuit that could force unions to negotiate separately instead of as one national group.

S2: The union says it's an attempt to weaken their bargaining power , right , by breaking them up into smaller groups. They say together , um , numbers matter here. So they want to be able to bargain as a national unit. So breaking them up into smaller groups , they feel will will diminish their bargaining power at the table. And so they call it just a tactic to delay negotiations rather than resolve them. Hmm.

S1: Hmm. So you mentioned a delay in appointments.

S2: I mean , Kaiser , you know , when they do a strike , they do have to give a ten day notice. So Kaiser does have a contingency plan. And so while they're bringing in , you know , temporary staff or moving folks around , you know , they say that Emergency care will continue. But you know , patients will also see some longer wait times. You know , um , some non-urgent appointments and maybe some elective procedures may be delayed. And like I said , some will move to virtual care. But the union says that's already happening because of chronic understaffing.

S1: And Caballero , the union representative , says that the real cost to patient care is workout burn. Is worker burnout. Really ? Here's what she said about that.

S3: When they are not investing in patient care and with proper staffing , what happens is that every day this nurse comes into work. They are doing everything that they can do to the best of their abilities to take care of patients , but they're the best of their abilities with limited staffing means that they can't actually do the most that they can do for every single patient. Hmm.

S1: Hmm. You were out there on the picket line yesterday.

S2: You know , there was music and chanting. Lots of honking from drivers passing by. So , you know , they were frustrated how the workers were frustrated , but they really seemed unified. A lot of them kept saying that this isn't , you know , about their paychecks , but it's it's really about the patient care.

S1:

S2: And union leaders say it'll continue until there's a contract agreement.

S1: All right. I've been speaking with Heidi DeMarco. She's health reporter for KPBS. Heidi , thank you very much.

S2: Thank you. Jade.

S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.