Oregon & SW Washington – Members of UFCW Local 555 at Kaiser Permanente voted overwhelmingly (99.6%) to authorize their bargaining committee to call for a ULP strike on their employer. The vote took place between September 10 and September 16 among imaging and pharmacy healthcare professionals across Oregon and SW Washington represented by UFCW 555.
Kaiser has committed numerous Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs), including failing to provide information regarding bargaining and grievances, attempting to directly deal with our members, and attempting to dictate to the Union who may serve as its representative.
If a ULP strike is called, a 10-day notice will be sent to Kaiser Permanente identifying when and where Union members will walk off their jobs.
The vote comes after months of local – and national – level negotiations between Kaiser Permanente and UFCW 555, as well as with the Coalition of Kaiser Unions. Citing the ongoing staffing crisis, which the Union believes has led to a decline in quality of care, Local 555’s bargaining team pushed for first-year wage adjustments, increased wage differentials such as for nights and weekends, and increased staffing. Reflecting its disdain for the bargaining process, despite months of bargaining, Kaiser did not even provide its first wage proposals until last week and failed to address local first-year wage adjustments or any other local bargaining issues.
Additionally, Local 555 has requested to leave National Bargaining and bargain locally with Kaiser Permanente. It’s clear to the Local 555 Bargaining Team that Kaiser Permanente has no interest in a working partnership as it ignores the concerns of our healthcare professionals.
“The number one issue at Kaiser is the lack of staffing. Workers are burning out, patients are having to wait months to receive care, and the problem is only getting worse. We were prepared to work on a deal that’s sustainable for the patients, our healthcare professionals, and the company, but Kaiser has been completely unwilling to accept the real impact of underpaying healthcare professionals. No matter how the Kaiser executives see the situation from Oakland, California, the rising cost of living in Oregon and Washington is real and must be addressed.” – Dan Clay, President, UFCW Local 555.