35,000 members of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, a coalition of 21 local unions representing over 52,000 workers at the healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente in states around the country, have set a strike date. Unless the company addresses the serious issues that workers have raised at the bargaining table, Kaiser workers will walk off the job on Nov. 15, and thousands more may join in what could become one of the largest strikes ever in the healthcare sector. The core issues that led to the potential strike not only involve adequate compensation for union workers, but also the dire concerns about healthcare workers being grossly overworked and under-resourced, as well as two-tier employment and the struggle to draw in and retain trained staff. On top of the essential concerns that directly impact the jobs and livelihoods of healthcare workers, the outcome of this high-stakes labor struggle will have huge implications for the future of healthcare in the US as we know it.
In this special edition of Working People, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with two Kaiser workers, Hannah Winchester, DPT, and Nicholas Eng, RNFA, about the work that they do, the changes they’ve experienced in the healthcare system, and the dire conditions that have led to a potential strike. Hannah Winchester is a home health physical therapist by trade; she is also her department’s Labor Partner, a shop steward, and a member of the bargaining team for the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP) Professional Bargaining Unit. Nicholas Eng has been a nurse for nearly 10 years; he is also an OFNHP shop steward and is currently on release for OFNHP to be present for contract bargaining and to help with organizing union members and actions, including strike planning.
Post-Production: Adam Coley
Read the transcript of this interview: https://therealnews.com/35000-kaiser-permanente-workers-are-set-to-strike-and-the-future-of-us-healthcare-is-at-stake
Additional links/info below…
The Alliance of Health Care Unions website, Facebook page, and Twitter page:
https://www.ahcunions.org/
https://www.facebook.com/AHCUnions/
Tweets by AHCunions
Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals website, Facebook page, Twitter page, and Instagram:
http://ofnhp.aft.org/
https://www.facebook.com/ofnhp/
Tweets by OFNHP
https://www.instagram.com/ofnhp/?hl=en
OFNHP Cares – Member Hardship Relief Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/y3h5p-ofnhp-cares-member-hardship-relief-fund?qid=b651426291f2babae96217e9a9d1d90e
Noah Lanard, Mother Jones, ““You Are Worth Moreâ€: Kaiser Permanente Workers Are on the Verge of a Historic Strikeâ€: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/10/kaiser-permanente-strike-health-care-nurses-decades/
Dave Muoio, Fierce Healthcare, “Nearly 32,000 Kaiser Permanente Workers Set to Strike Nov. 15. Tens of Thousands More Mulling Their Own Demonstrationsâ€: https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals/nearly-32-000-kaiser-permanente-workers-set-to-strike-nov-15
Working People, The Real News Network, “A Small-Town Hospital Goes After Its Union Nursesâ€: https://therealnews.com/a-small-town-hospital-goes-after-its-union-nurses
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** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I'm always down for working class struggle. On the other, KP healthcare sux major swamp balls and loots wallets while doing it.
Kaiser permanente flagged me for mental health over a god damn billing complaint. Do not ever go back. Shutem down
Ironically the last keiser was a nazi. Good thing mousalini wasnt permanente. Or is it the same?
Two tear systems are dangerous.!
When they don’t meet your demands strike strike strike….shut them down.. period…!
The bottom line is employers have found a way to circumvent the CBA….when sitting across the table your union really have to put the hammer down. The small things you give up becomes huge for these companies.
The news says it's over pay cuts
Covid-vaccine is an obstruction of covid virus to create new variant, it only able to hide the symptoms after get infected, at the same time to enhance your immunity system to against the virus temporarily like Morphine-Sulfate.
Covid-19 is cumulative and permanently stay at human body's T-Cell then cause it malfunction to replicate, destroy and spread even you have fully recovered from covid infection or fully vaccinated. Peoples will die in covid one day when the immunity system become weak;`;8678
Non profit only means that they spend more in perks.(use it or lose it rule) Not that they do not make a profit. Kaiser and all hospitals will bring in nigerians and phillipinos to replace american workers. Nigerians in hospital O work in would brag, they could buy licenses anytime they wanted.
Although encouraged by strikes and rallies of which many I have participated in, but still missing the main point – the goal is to destabilize all of society on all levels – impose multiple unnecessary, liberticidal and unconstitutional coercive measures, paralyze trade and the economy, let unemployment explode, impose digital identity on everyone (QR code), cancel the debts and dematerialize the money, trigger the economic, financial and stock market collapse, activate the Great Reset, de-materialize money. cancel debts and loans, impose the digital portfolio (digital wallet), seize properties and land, ban all global medicines, confirm the obligation to vaccinate semi-annually or annually – welcome to the NWO (Novus Ordo Mass) and complete slavery. Revolution must happen – nothing else will fix this. THEY want things to collapse so they can swoop in and take control.
Revolution. Must stop great reset and not comply with the plans to topple the economy and enact digital control and medical tyranny.
Please work on getting "kind of" and "y'know" and "right?" out of your speech patterns. Your over-use of these phrases ruins your interviews, when they'd otherwise be very good.
If not now, when??There will not be another opportunity like this in history to change the way things are done. Fight on warriors!
Get the transport workers and health worker to strike and you win. Nobody can work without these 2 groups. Or just don't treat the rich. Let them wait in pain.
Health care going on strike and i bet the dock/cargo workers will get fired or go on strike if they don't get vaxed by Nov 15th.
God: I will judge you! Not for the logic but for the acts. Every winter homeless is corrupt by entitled. Accounting according by you: Are they homeless or are they: A product of offensive beliefs: Vagrants? Do not use words like homeless if in your heart you support beliefs of criminal prosecutorial vagrancy which is not homeless and poor and ……
People have just had enough. I am proud of these workers for standing strong.
Good for them. Union…Yes!
Solidarity
Support supply support! Solidarity 👊ðŸ¼âœŠðŸ¼