LOS ANGELES, United States- Tens of thousands of health care workers in the United States walked off the job Wednesday, beginning one of the sector's largest strikes in recent history, as America's year of labor discontent rolled on.
Kaiser Permanente employees, joined by Union members representing the workers, walk the picket line in Los Angeles, California on October 4, 2023. More than 75,000 employees at Kaiser Permanente began one of the largest healthcare worker strikes in recent US history on Wednesday after failing to resolve a dispute over staffing levels.
"Kaiser Permanente has reported billions of dollars in profits, so all we're asking from Kaiser CEOs is to share those profits with the frontline workers," she said.Kaiser Permanente locations in Washington DC, Virginia, California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington state were expected to be affected by the three-day strike.A Kaiser spokesman told journalists on Tuesday that talks were continuing.
It has threatened to engage in further strike action in November"if Kaiser continues to commit unfair labor practices."Wednesday's strike comes during a year in which the US has seen an unusually high level of industrial action as workers struggle with inflation levels not seen in a generation.