OAKLAND — Hundreds of Kaiser healthcare workers in Oakland and other Northern California locations walked out on strike Monday to demand better care for patients.
The scheduled one-day strike began at 7 a.m. and includes more than 600 Northern California mid-wives and nurse anesthetists who are protesting understaffing and burnout, according to a statement from the United Nurses Associationof California/Union of Health Care Professionals.
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The strike is is the first major labor action by the group as it negotiates its first union contract with Kaiser. That contract will affect caregivers from more than 20 facilities, including Oakland.
“Midwives and certified registered nurse anesthetists are trusted at every critical juncture—guiding families through birth, easing patients through surgery, and stepping in at life’s most vulnerable moments,” registered nurse Charmaine S. Morales, the president of UNAC/UHCP, which represents 40,000 healthcare professionals in California and Hawaii, said in a statement. “We’re not only fighting for fair treatment at work—we’re demanding the staffing, resources, and respect that make safe, expert care possible,”
Picketers were set to march at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center at 3600 and 3701 Broadway. They are set to picket until 7 p.m.
Please check back for updates.
