Yesterday 3,400 Kaiser workers represented by the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP, AFT Local 5017) announced they will strike starting November 15th, joined by tens of thousands of others across several states resulting in a total of 32,000 striking workers.They could be joined by 8,000 more workers across the country in the following days. Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor responded to the strike notice:
“The affiliated unions and 300,000 members of the Oregon AFL-CIO stand in solidarity and support of OFNHP in their fight for a fair contract with Kaiser Permanente. We expect Kaiser to listen to the voices of their workers and do what is right and stop pushing proposals that are creating dangerous conditions for both patients and staff. It’s time for Kaiser to put patients over profits and to bargain a fair contract with their workers instead of putting cash into the pockets of a CEO. We are disappointed to see Kaiser continuously disrespect their workers given what OFNHP members have been doing each day of the pandemic with commendable professionalism and dedication. They’re saving lives. They’re keeping patients safe from COVID-19. They’re doing whatever it takes to get the job done. We know that going on strike is an incredibly difficult decision, and we will do everything we can as Oregon’s Labor Movement to support the picket lines until a fair contract is reached for OFNHP members at Kaiser.”
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