By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P] / Bay City News
Workers who are members of the union for mental health professionals such as nurses, optometrists and pharmacists at Kaiser Permanente plan to walk this Friday in solidarity with striking engineers.
Operating engineers and members of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) at Local 39 have been on strike for the past two months amid contract negotiations over alleged unfair labor practices and wages.
In response, members of the Health Care Workers Union ? West, affiliated with Service Employees International Union (SEIU-UHW) Local 20 and 29, the California Nurses Association, and the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) at Northern California care facilities are striking, including 40,000 people in the Bay Area, Sacramento, and other areas.
This support for the strike comes despite Kaiser's recent progress in reaching tentative agreements with the Alliance of Healthcare Unions and the Professional Pharmacists Guild.
SEIU-UHW Executive Board members Kaiser published in a collective letter that said Kaiser used to embrace the labor movement and try to be the preferred supplier of union members.
"But now, Kaiser is on a different path, engaging in union-busting by allowing the engineers' strike to continue for more than seven weeks," the statement read.
"Kaiser's position that front-line workers are ?overpaid? is demeaning, especially as it continues to rack up billions of dollars in profits during the pandemic and pay dozens of executives million-dollar salaries."
In response, Kaiser officials said the union is asking for "unreasonable raises" that exceed other union requests, the company said.
Kaiser said it understands union solidarity, although such strikes are not protected by law for SEUI-UHW, Local 20 and Local 29. A joint strike is also "not appropriate in this case," according to the company statement.
Kaiser officials said this strike will not bring the two sides closer to an agreement.
"We are offering salaries to Local 39 employees that are similar to those of our other employees and that, in addition to Local 39's generous medical and richer retirement benefits, will keep our engineers among the highest paid in their profession, at an average of more than $180,000 in total salaries and benefits," according to the Kaiser statement.
"We are not proposing any conclusions and our proposals do not differentiate between current and future employees," he added.
In anticipation of the strikes, the company sent a message to its customers about the potential impacts of care in the pharmacy, laboratory and radiology department, optical services, emergency care and routine care.
"In the event of a strike, we may have to reschedule some elective surgeries, non-urgent appointments or change your appointment to a phone or video visit. We will contact you if there are changes to your appointments," Kaiser wrote in an email to clients. "It is not necessary to call or email your doctor at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience."
Outpatient pharmacies may be closed on Thursdays and Fridays, although their mail delivery services and immediate representative care will remain open, along with inpatient pharmacies.
Lab and radiology departments may be closed or operating on reduced hours. Kaiser suggests members schedule an appointment for non-urgent needs.
Emergency care will be open during the strikes, although wait times are expected to increase. Officials said emergency departments at other non-Kaiser hospitals could see patients more quickly through Nov. 19.
"We are very sorry for any disruption members may experience as we take steps to ensure we will continue to provide safe, high-quality care during this union strike," according to Kaiser's statement.
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