by Thousands of medical professionals demonstrated Saturday at four major Kaiser Permanente locations around Southern California, from Los Angeles to San Diego, demanding better patient care and more recognition for their labor.
San Diego County Board Supervisor for District 3 Terra Lawson-Remer, Councilmember Jose Rodriguez of the National City Council, District 2, Councilmember Marni von Wilpert of SD District 5, Council President Pro Tem Kent Lee of SD District 6, and Councilmember Raul Campillo of SD District 7 all supported the events in San Diego.
According to Nikki Avey, a registered nurse who works in the labor and delivery unit at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, “We are dedicated to our patients and we are announcing to our community that we are standing up for them.”
In the midst of negotiations with the healthcare firm, which serves one in four Californians, nurses, pharmacists, midwives, rehab therapists, and other members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) coordinated the educational pickets.
The contract that employs 35,000 Kaiser healthcare professionals across California and Hawaii is set to expire on September 30.
San Diego and Riverside saw picketing before sunrise, and throughout the afternoon, it spread to Downey and West Los Angeles. The medical staff urged Kaiser to strengthen its pledges to patient safety in their ongoing contract negotiations while holding banners, chanting “Together We Rise,” and sporting blue T-shirts to symbolize a rolling wave.
We are establishing a new benchmark when we call to respect and protect care workers. Kaiser Permanente isn’t the only one. Charmaine S. Morales, RN, president of UNAC/UHCP, stated that this is for healthcare nationwide. We are aware of what is safe for our communities, our patients, and our careers. Furthermore, we cannot let things stay the same.
Many healthcare professionals are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and burnout. Additionally, healthcare professionals have to cope with a variety of uncertainty levels, including daily staffing shortages, complex patient needs, and the impending impact of people losing access to treatment due to federal budget cuts.
Prior to the events, around 20,000 union members and supporters signed a petition calling for a fair contract, safety staffing, and dignity and respect for all Kaiser healthcare employees. During last week’s bargaining meetings, employees personally submitted their signatures to Kaiser management.
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As a nurse midwife at Kaiser Los Angeles Medical Center, Kerin Asher Galloway stated, “We need every member, every supporter, and every person who believes in justice in healthcare to stand with us.” Because the picket today is about the future of healthcare, not just about us. about ensuring that the burden of a dysfunctional system does not overwhelm those who care.
We were being referred to as heroes only a few years ago, and nothing has changed. We arrive at work with professionalism and dedication. We’ve made a good team. Our goal has been to provide the greatest workplace possible. Paul Ciriacks, a registered nurse working in the intensive care unit at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Downey, stated, “We are just asking them to be committed to us.”
According to a news release, Saturday’s activities were informational pickets rather than a work stoppage or strike, and they attracted hundreds of community and labor allies in addition to medical professionals. This move is a part of what has been called “hot union summer,” a surge in union advocacy.
