![]() Kaiser Permanente said it had reached tentative agreements with the unions on some issues, such as the use of temporary workers such as traveling nurses and how employee vacancies are tracked. Are the two sides close to making a deal? Kaiser also needs to balance affordability of care for its members, it says. The healthcare organization argues that wage increases need to reflect what similar workers make in different regions, with bigger raises in areas where Kaiser pay isn’t at least 10% above local levels. It also said it has worked hard to address staffing and is on track to hire 10,000 new people by the end of October to fill jobs represented by the union coalition. Kaiser Permanente said it had negotiated in good faith and that the raises it proposed would ensure it remains an industry leader on wages. Labor leaders have also balked at Kaiser proposals to offer wage hikes of different sizes in different regions, calling it a “divide-and-conquer strategy.” They also say the wage increases Kaiser has offered don’t keep up with the rising cost of living. Union leaders say they’re looking for solutions to address a “staffing crisis” that harms both employees and patients, dragging out wait times and putting patient safety at risk. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions says its members agreed to the strike to protest “bad-faith bargaining” by the healthcare giant during negotiations. But Kaiser enrollees must wait until Sept. The new COVID shot is available at CVS and Walgreens at no cost through most insurers. Gaskill-Hames said that Kaiser facilities have started to offer the COVID booster and “we have prepared to be able to continue to do that as best we can.”Ĭalifornia Where Southern Californians can find the new COVID-19 vaccine Gaskill-Hames said the health system conducted outreach ahead of the planned strike “to try and alert our members that if they need medications, to try to get ahead of it with mail-order pharmacy.” Can I still get a COVID-19 booster shot during the strike? ![]() In Southern California, all pharmacies will remain open, according to a spokesman for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Kaiser said inpatient pharmacies at its hospitals would remain open and that it was exploring options for using retail pharmacies such as Rite Aid and Walgreens to serve members if any of its outpatient pharmacies close. She encouraged Kaiser members to check its website for updates. She said the health system is working to marshal its own employees to fill needs during a strike, as well as bringing in an unspecified number of “replacement workers” in “certain key areas.” Kaiser will reach out if specific appointments are canceled and work with patients to reschedule them, Gaskill-Hames said, “but I would not discourage members from seeking a particular type of care.” Will someone tell me if my appointment is canceled? “Our goal is to have minimal disruption,” said Michelle Gaskill-Hames, president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii, Health Plan and Hospitals. Kaiser officials avoided naming specific kinds of care that would be affected, saying their goal was to continue usual operations as much as possible. It’s possible that you could experience longer wait and hold times during a strike.” “We’ll contact you in advance if your appointment needs to be rescheduled. “In the case of a strike, we may need to reschedule some non-urgent appointments and procedures,” Kaiser said in a message to members over the weekend. It said that its hospitals and emergency departments will remain open and staffed, in some cases with the help of “contingent workers.” Kaiser Permanente said that if a strike occurs, it has “contingency plans in place” to ensure patients can continue to get care. of California/Union of Health Care Professionals, for instance, said it stands in solidarity with the coalition.) The ones making strike plans do include SEIU 121RN, which represents registered nurses at Kaiser Permanente Moreno Valley Medical Center. (That doesn’t mean they don’t support the strike: United Nurses Assns. The majority of the Kaiser workforce is unionized, but not all of the unions that represent its employees are taking part in the three-day strike.įor instance, many of the registered nurses working at Kaiser Permanente facilities in Southern California belong to unions that aren’t part of the coalition.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |