NW Kaiser Permanente Workers Picket As Possible Strike Looms

[TexasTowelie]

Health workers holding picket signs rallied in Vancouver, Washington, Tuesday evening as contract negotiations between nonprofit health care provider Kaiser Permanente and a coalition of unions remained stalled. The unions represent 85,000 of Kaiser’s employees nationwide, including 4,500 in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

More than 50 employees represented by Service Employees International Union Local 49 lined the sidewalk outside Kaiser’s Cascade Park Medical Office in east Vancouver.

“I’m fighting for my pension, my pay raises, my time off,” said Lisa Pharmeter, a dental assistant at the Cascade Park campus and one of more than 50 Service Employees International Union Local 49 members who protested in east Vancouver Tuesday. “We take care of the patients, and it’s super important for us to be compensated for that in a reasonable manner.”

SEIU’s local contract with Kaiser expired on June 30, but was extended through the end of July. If an agreement isn’t met, union members say they’re prepared to vote on a strike.

Read more: https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-washington-kaiser-permanente-health-workers-picket-strike/
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)

[AllyCat]

1. Solidarity!

I also work for a "non-profit" healthcare organization that seems to think paying it's employees is not really important when there are big bonuses to be paid out after they make $78M in one year at ONE facility. Non-profit my arse. Also SEIU here.