75,000 Kaiser nurses, pharmacists and other workers have walked off the job
NPR Online NewsOct 03, 2023
Labor Unions Reach Tentative Deal With Kaiser Permanente
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Image copyright: Justin Sullivan [via Getty Images]
The Facts
A coalition of healthcare workers and Kaiser Permanente agreed on Friday to a tentative deal, a week after over 75K staff members took part in the largest-ever strike in the US healthcare industry.
The temporary agreement includes a 21% increase in wages over four years and the phasing in of a $25-per-hour minimum wage for coalition workers in California.
The Spin
Narrative A
Post-COVID, healthcare workers have felt unsafe, unappreciated, and unsupported. They are underpaid, overworked, and exhausted. While the deal with Kaiser Permanente may end the current labor dispute, the changes they want require a significant overhaul of how healthcare is delivered.
Narrative B
While the agreement could set a higher standard for the healthcare industry nationwide, the unions' three-day walkout disrupted appointments and services, forced Kaiser to postpone procedures, and shut down more than 50 labs. Holding patients to ransom is no way to solve labor issues.
