By Nina Wu
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Unionized health care workers held a rally at noon today at Kaiser Permanente Mapunapuna to call attention to their frustration at the pace of negotiations for a new contract.
A strike authorization vote is underway, according to Unite Here Local 5, which represents more than 1,900 workers at 25 clinics and medical centers across Hawaii. The votes are expected to be tallied by Monday.
Workers also held rallies in front of Kaiser Wailuku on Maui and at the Kaiser Kona Clinic on Hawaii island to demand a fair contract.
The national contract for more than 60,000 Kaiser Permanente workers across the U.S., including Hawaii, is set to expire on Sept. 30. The strike authorization vote would give union leadership the ability to call a strike after the contracts expire.
“We remain committed to reaching a fair settlement before our contract expires at the end of this month,” said Cade Watanabe, Local 5’s financial secretary-treasurer in a news release. “But we’ve been at the bargaining table since April, and we’re ready to do whatever it takes to get Kaiser to respect our work and put our patients first.”
He added, “We’re proud of the level of care we provide, and know that Kaiser is a great place to get quality care, if you can get it. We need Kaiser to step-up and start addressing our growing workloads, short-staffing and gaps in compensation for Hawaii workers.”
Last month, Kaiser workers picketed over sticking points, such as staffing ratios and equitable wages and benefits as their counterparts in Southern California
In Los Angeles, Calif., meanwhile, the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals, today said a majority of 30,000 registered nurses, pharmacists, therapists and others at Kaiser, including some in Hawaii, voted to authorize a strike.
Kaiser responded by saying since May, it has been negotiating in good faith with the Alliance of Health Care unions — which Local 5 and UNAC are a part of — on a new national agreement.
Kaiser said its current offer includes strong, across-the-board wage increases totaling 20% over four years and enhancements to generous benefits and retirement programs it already provides.
“It is disappointing that union leadership would choose to authorize a strike, which could disrupt care for our members and patients, while we are actively working toward an agreement,” said Kaiser in a statement. “We remain focused on reaching an agreement that supports employees, maintains our position as a best place to work, and continues to ensure access to affordable, high-quality care for our members.”
