LOS ANGELES (AP) — A massive health care strike over wages and staffing shortages headed into its final day on Friday without a deal between industry giant Kaiser Permanente and the unions representing the 75,000 workers who picketed this week.
“No health care worker wants to go on strike,” Caroline Lucas, the coalition's executive director, said Thursday.
The strike comes in a year when there have been work stoppages within multiple industries, including transportation, entertainment and hospitality.
The health care industry alone has been hit by several strikes this year as it confronts burnout from heavy workloads — problems greatly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The White House on Thursday said President Joe Biden “always” supports union members who choose to strike when asked about the demonstration by Kaiser workers.
Persons:
Kaiser, ” Caroline Lucas, “, Hilary Costa, Lucas, ”, Joe Biden “, Seung Min Kim
Organizations:
ANGELES, Kaiser Permanente, Coalition, Kaiser Permanente Unions, D.C, “, ”, Kaiser, United Auto Workers, Associated
Locations:
Kaiser, California —, Colorado , Oregon, Washington, Virginia, Oakland , California, Michigan