BELLEVUE, Wash. — Kaiser Permanente employees across the nation could go on strike.
The national agreement expired on Saturday, Sept. 30, but the regional agreement for Washington does not expire until Oct. 31. A strike has not been announced for Washington.
With hundreds of hospitals across multiple states, it could be one of the largest strikes of its kind, with 75,000 employees.
Over the weekend, the union said their national contract came to an end.
The union represents hospital support staff like nursing assistants, EMTs and pharmacists.
Healthcare workers are asking for raises, job protection, and solutions to fix the labor shortages.
A Kaiser Permanente representative says talks for Washington employees are showing progress.
In a statement, the company said it is confident they’ll reach an agreement before the regional agreement expires on Oct. 31.
Kaiser Permanente Washington is committed to bargaining in good faith to reach a fair and equitable agreement that supports our employees and patients and furthers our mission of providing high-quality care.
Our priority is to reach an agreement that ensures we can provide market-competitive pay and benefits. We are confident we’ll reach an agreement before our regional agreement expires on October 31st that strengthens our position as a best place to work and ensures that the high-quality care our members expect from us remains affordable and easy to access.
A strike authorization vote does not reflect any breakdown in bargaining, nor does it indicate a strike is imminent. We greatly respect and value our employees who deliver on our mission every day and look forward to continuing our conversation at the bargaining table.
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