Kaiser Permanente may soon face another strike, as the company’s pharmacy workers in Southern California did picket captain training and sign-making Saturday.
Negotiations have stalled since April, with the union’s contract set to expire Nov. 1. The membership of UFCW Local 770 authorized a strike earlier this month.
UFCW Local 770 represents 2,200 Kaiser pharmacy workers.
Workers are alleging unfair labor practices and seek safe patient care and staffing levels, “a collaborative process in patient scheduling to ensure providers have the time needed to deliver quality care, competitive wages that reflect workers skills and dedication” and the alignment of all Kaiser labor contracts to expire at the end of October along with the rest of the Alliance of Healthcare Unions, according to the union. The alliance is a coalition of 21 local unions representing an estimated 52,000 Kaiser employees.
Company representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Over 30,000 unionized Kaiser nurses and other health care professionals returned to their jobs Oct. 19 after a five-day strike in California, Oregon and Hawaii.
Representatives for those workers resumed bargaining with the company, with additional talks set to start Oct. 28.
“We recognize our employees’ hard work and have offered a strong contract proposal that pays off immediately and over the long term,” according to a Kaiser statement. “Alliance-represented employees currently earn, on average, 16% more than peers elsewhere. Our offer increases their already above-market wages over the 4-year contract, and enhances their high-value medical plans and retiree benefits — benefits that have long made Kaiser Permanente an employer of choice.”
Nurses and a wide range of other health care providers are seeking appointments scheduling “in a sensible, patient-focused way,” fair pay for health care workers to attract the staff needed to provide quality care and “a real voice” for health care providers in decisions that affect patients’ health, according to the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals.
