Kaiser Permanente workers took to the streets Tuesday morning to mark the start of their five-day strike for better wages and safer staffing ratios.
The official strike notice, sent last week by Unite Here! Local 5 and Hawaii Nurses and Healthcare Professionals, said that workers in the continental U.S. make up to 30% more than workers in Hawaiʻi, adding that unsafe staffing ratios put patients’ health at risk.
Matthew Piskura, a home health physical therapist with the Alliance of Health Care Unions, said that fair wages and better treatment of workers will improve patient care.
“I think as we fight together side by side, if we elevate fair wages for our group, that will help elevate the entire community,” Piskura said. “The concept of corporate ‘fair’ is defined by the bosses and then there’s community fair, which we are fighting for, and I think our definition is closer to the truth.”
Kaiser Permanente said in a statement that it has tried to negotiate wages and terms with its workers since May. Kaiser said a strike is “unnecessary and disruptive.”
“Despite our strong economic offer, Alliance bargaining has stalled over wages, and the unions have chosen to strike. While this strike is disappointing and unnecessary, we are prepared to resume negotiations after the strike to reach an agreement that balances fair pay for our employees with our obligations to deliver high-quality, affordable care,” Kaiser wrote.
Kaiser said it is onboarding thousands of health care workers to prepare for this week. The strike is scheduled to end on Sunday.
This is a developing story.
