PORTLAND, Oregon — Seventy-five-thousand Kaiser Permanente health care workers went on strike on Wednesday around the country, including in Oregon and Washington. Union members said it’s the biggest health care worker strike ever nationally.
On Wednesday, union members said Kaiser Permanente walked away from bargaining negotiations until the strike was over.
In Oregon and Southwest Washington, 4,000 workers ranging from radiology technicians, to medical assistants and housekeepers are bargaining for better pay, more job protections and more staffing.
“This has never been like this,” Juanita Kamhoot, a Kaiser Permanente certified nurses assistant said.
Kamhoot said she is regularly working 80 hour weeks. Other workers also said they are frequently working dozens of hours in overtime weekly.
Many healthcare workers left the industry throughout the pandemic, and continue to leave, union members said.
“They’re quitting,” Wendy Jensen, a Kaiser Permanente employee said. “They’re moving on to other careers even. Just to have some sanity back because we’re just so overworked.”
Workers said the shortages are not only affecting them, but patients too.
“When people are trying to make an appointment with their primary care provider and it's 4-8 weeks out, we’re not doing a service to our member,” Keven Dardon, a Kaiser employee said.
In a statement, Kaiser said it’s addressing wages, by raising pay by 12.5% over the next four years.
They said every health care provider has faced staff shortages since the pandemic, but they are faring better than most due to better benefits.
Kaiser Permanente also said it’s accelerated its hiring process too.
But workers are not feeling the change.
“The care is tough, because there’s just not enough of us to care for everybody,” Jensen said.