Thousands of California nurses, health care workers give 10-day notice

A union representing thousands of Kaiser Permanente workforce delivered a 10-working day discover to a single of the nation’s most significant health treatment vendors Thursday, stating they will go on strike commencing Nov. 15.

The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Wellness Treatment Industry experts are placing over Kaiser Permanente’s proposals to “depress wages for recent workforce and slash wages for incoming workers all through a countrywide wellbeing treatment staffing disaster,” the union mentioned in a information launch.

If an settlement is not achieved by the deadline, some 21,000 registered nurses, pharmacists, midwives, physical and occupational therapists, nurse practitioners and medical doctor assistants will prevent operating. The 10-working day detect is required by California legislation in get to make it possible for well being facilities to get ready.

Virtually 7,400 members of United Steelworkers Community 7600 in Southern California and 3,400 associates of Oregon Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Gurus will also strike against Kaiser commencing on the similar working day, bringing the complete amount of strikers as large as virtually 32,000 workers.

The strike will impact 366 facilities in Southern California, like hospitals and professional medical facilities in Anaheim, Antelope Valley, Baldwin Park, Downey, Fontana, Harbor Metropolis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Ontario-Winery, Panorama Metropolis, Riverside, San Diego, West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills, as nicely as hundreds of clinics, brief care clinics in Concentrate on merchants, and health-related office environment structures from Bakersfield down to San Diego and Los Angeles out to the Inland Empire.

“Other wellbeing care systems throughout the nation—some not as fiscally strong as Kaiser Permanente—are earning the ideal alternatives for people by attracting the most effective caregivers with significant wage increases and unique incentives, from signing bonuses to onsite childcare,” the news release mentioned.

“Meanwhile, KP—sitting on billions of cash—has unsuccessful to handle union proposals that would deal with pressing troubles these kinds of as staffing shortages, racial justice, and equal overall health entry,” the statement continued.

Arlene Peasnall, senior vice president of human assets at Kaiser Permanente, rebutted the union’s statements in a statement, saying that the clinic method is “indisputably 1 of the most labor-welcoming companies in the United States.”

“The challenge we are making an attempt to handle in partnership with our unions is the ever more unaffordable price tag of wellness care. And the reality is, wages and rewards account for fifty percent of Kaiser Permanente’s operational charges,” Peasnall claimed.

Kaiser has been in conversations with the Alliance of Health and fitness Treatment Unions since April, like standard conferences due to the fact September, and Peasnall mentioned the medical center technique thinks “an settlement that satisfies the interests of all is very attainable.”

“We believe we can arrive at an settlement with the Alliance that meets our shared passions and avoids an unwanted and unsafe strike, primarily as we go on to struggle this pandemic,” Peasnall stated.

Peasnall extra that, if the unions strike, Kaiser Permanente amenities will stay operational.

“If a strike in fact occurs, our services will be staffed by our qualified and professional professionals and the contingency workers we are bringing in as needed, and our medical professionals will go on to be out there to care for people,” Peasnall said.