2023-10-04 21:15:39
This Wednesday, the United States is immersed in what has been classified as the largest health workers strike in its history, with the participation of more than 75 thousand unionized employees of Kaiser Permanente, one of the non-profit health providers. largest profits in the country.
The strike, which began at 6:00 in the morning, is scheduled to last until next Saturday. The states most affected by this mobilization are California, Colorado, Washington, Virginia, Oregon and Washington DC
Healthcare workers who have decided to speak out demand safer work environments. They assure that, after the pandemic, staff shortages are seriously compromising patient care and pushing many workers to the limit.
Among the strikers are nurses, dieticians, receptionists, optometrists and pharmacists. They have chosen to strike after their contracts expired without a satisfactory agreement being reached with the company.
These striking workers represent 40% of the total staff at Kaiser Permanente, a company that operates 39 hospitals and more than 700 medical offices.
Kaiser Permanente, in response to the strike, has expressed its willingness to “continue negotiating with the coalition” until reaching “a fair and equitable agreement,” as expressed in an official statement.
Although the strike is scheduled to end on Saturday, the coalition’s largest union, SEIU-UHW, has said that if a satisfactory agreement is not reached, a “longer and stronger” strike could occur in November.
It is important to highlight that this health strike takes place at a time when the United States is also facing one of the largest strikes in the history of the automotive sector, with 25 thousand workers from General Motors (GM), Ford and Stellantis leaving their jobs. work due to the lack of an agreement for the signing of their collective agreement.
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