75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in California, Virginia, and three other states went on strike on Wednesday over staffing shortages.
The three-day walkout involves nurses, technicians, pharmacists and support staff.
Healthcare workers are striking over wage increases, nationwide minimum wage, health benefits, retirement plans, and tuition assistance programs.
AP reported:
Picketing began Wednesday morning at Kaiser Permanente hospitals as some 75,000 health care workers go on strike in Virginia, California and three other states over wages and staffing shortages, marking the latest major labor unrest in the United States.
Kaiser Permanente is one of the country’s larger insurers and health care system operators, with 39 hospitals nationwide. The non-profit company, based in Oakland, California, provides health coverage for nearly 13 million people, sending customers to clinics and hospitals it runs or contracts with to provide care.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, representing about 85,000 of the health system’s employees nationally, approved a strike for three days in California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, and for one day in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
More from KTLA 5:
