UNITED STATES-Bight Newspaper gathered that more than 75,000 Healthcare workers has began a three-day industrial strike action in the United States.
Employees at Kaiser Permanente numbering over 75,000 began one of the largest healthcare worker strikes in recent US history on Wednesday after failing to reach a compromise on a dispute over staffing levels.
The walkout at America’s largest non-profit healthcare organization comes during a year in which an inflation surge has spurred strike action to demand higher pay across the United States, from Hollywood to Detroit.
Kaiser said it has put in place contingency plans to limit the impact of the strike, but warned customers to expect “longer than usual” wait times, according to a statement posted on its website.
The three-day walkout will be “the largest healthcare worker strike in US history,” the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, an umbrella group representing local unions, said last month.
According to recent statements from the coalition, the union is agitating for a pay increase across boards, and protections against subcontracting and outsourcing of labor, amongst other demands.
It has also threatened to engage in further strike action in November “if Kaiser continues to commit unfair labor practices.”
The strike of union members at Kaiser Permanente began early Wednesday at sites in Virginia and the US capital Washington.
It is due to spread to the West Coast later in the day, where the vast majority of the company’s workforce is based.
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