Health care workers to picket at 3 Kaiser Permanente hospitals
SEATTLE - Health care workers are planning to picket Wednesday at three Kaiser Permanente’s hospitals in Western Washington.
Union workers in the professional, technical and optical units say they are hitting the streets because of the working conditions and staffing issues during the ongoing pandemic.
"Instead of recognizing the service of hardworking health care providers and offering a fair and competitive contract that rewards workers for staying on the job through the pandemic, Kaiser Permanente management is trying to negotiate lower standards and takeaways," said union officials.
Staffing has been an issue for nurses throughout the region. Last week, frontline health care workers at Cascade Behavioral Health Hospital in Tukwila picketed over the safety and welfare of employees. They demanded better security to combat workplace violence and increased hiring to offset understaffing.
Workers will be picketing at the Capitol Hill campus in Seattle, Bellevue Medical Center and the Tacoma Medical Center.
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