Thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees around the country, including those in San Diego County, are striking for three days, which can affect some services at hospitals and emergency departments.
The strike was initiated after contract negotiations failed to produce an agreement. The union representing the employees has accused Kaiser of cutting performance bonuses for employees, failing to protect employees against subcontracting, offering wages that fail to keep pace with inflation and falling short in efforts to maintain adequate staffing levels.
Among the workers involved in a strike would be licensed vocational nurses, emergency department technicians, radiology technicians, ultrasound sonographers, teleservice representatives, respiratory therapists, X-ray technicians, certified nursing assistants, dietary services, behavioral health workers, surgical technicians, pharmacy technicians, transporters, home health aides, phlebotomists and medical assistants, union officials said.
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How the strike affects you
Kaiser Permanente is one of the country’s larger insurers and healthcare system operators, serving nearly 13 million people. The nonprofit company said its 39 hospitals, including emergency departments and pharmacies, will remain open during the strike, though appointments and non-urgent procedures could be delayed.
Patients can also expect high call volumes resulting in longer than usual wait times.
Also, some laboratories across the county are temporarily closed. Those locations include:
- Bostonia
- Carlsbad
- Carmel Valley
- El Cajon/Travelodge
- Escondido
- Garfield
- Oceanside
- Point Loma
- Rancho Bernardo
- Rancho San Diego
- Viewridge
For the labs that are open, they will open at 8 a.m. during the three-day strike, Kaiser said on their website.
Local
In the event that some non-urgent appointments or procedures need to be rescheduled, Kaiser said those patients will be contacted in advance. There is no need to call or email your doctor's office at this time.
The strike is scheduled from Oct. 4 through Oct. 7 at 6 a.m.
