Updated Oct 6, 2023 - Economy

What's next in the Kaiser Permanente health care worker strike

April Rubin

Several people stand wearing purple, one person holds a sign that says "Patients stand w/ Kaiser workers overcrowded outpatients" — Patients join Kaiser Permanente health care employees and union members as they walk the picket line in Los Angeles during the second day of their strike on Oct. 5. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images

A work stoppage that's been deemed the largest health care strike in U.S. history could could see a part two with implications for employees, patients and the field at large.

Why it matters: The strike, which comes amid a shortage of health care workers and employee burnout, could affect the entire industry if other unions follow suit.

Driving the news: The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions is threatening it could issue another strike. Workers would give employers 10 days' notice before walking out, the coalition said Friday.

The update came after more than 75,000 health care workers stopped working for three days starting Wednesday, demanding worker protections amid staffing shortages.
"It is possible that the coalition will issue a 10-day strike notice after Saturday, which could lead to further striking by Kaiser employees after those 10 days," the coalition said in a news release on Friday.
The next bargaining sessions are scheduled for Oct. 12 and 13.

The company's management is hoping to reach an agreement that includes good wages and benefits to employees so they can continue serving patients, Hilary Costa, a spokesperson for Kaiser Permanente, said on Friday.

But negotiations have not met union negotiators' full expectations.

Catch up quick: A three-day strike began on Wednesday, after contracts expired on Sept. 30.

Employees in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia and Washington, D.C. stopped working.

State of play: The coalition, which represents 85,000 workers, is currently focused on protections that address understaffing and outsourcing, which takes jobs away from Kaiser Permanente employees.

The company's executives have not agreed to limit subcontracting and outsourcing, the coalition said, which has become a "key sticking point in negotiations."

Zoom out: Hundreds of positions are currently on strike, per the coalition, including nurses, emergency department technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, optometrists, dietary services, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, home health aids and housekeepers.

Go deeper: How the Kaiser Permanente strike could affect the whole health care industry

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the union coalition is considering a 10-day strike notice, not a 10-day strike.

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What's next in the Kaiser Permanente health care worker strike

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