PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Thousands of Kaiser Permanente nurses and healthcare professionals in Oregon and Southwest Washington kicked off their five-day strike Tuesday morning.
The nurses, laboratory professionals, and other employees — such as cancer counselors, physical therapists, and mental health therapists — began their strike at 7 a.m. It will continue through 7 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19.
According to the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), nearly 4,000 of their members had contracts end on Sept. 30. Meanwhile, several months of bargaining have led to a stalemate.
The strike in the Pacific Northwest comes as thousands of other Kaiser healthcare workers also strike in California, Oregon, and Hawaii. These unions are all connected through the Alliance of Health Care Unions, which represents 23 local unions throughout the country.
Kaiser strike locations in Oregon and Southwest Washington:
- Kaiser Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro, Ore.
- Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas, Ore.
- Interstate Medical Office – Central in Portland, Ore.
- Cascade Park Medical Office in Vancouver, Wash.
- Kaiser Longview-Kelso Medical Center in Longview, Wash.
- Kaiser North Lancaster in Salem, Ore.
Kaiser has onboarded nurses, clinicians, and other staff to keep these locations open during the strike. They have also reassigned a thousand employees from other locations.
Patients who need to reschedule certain appointments, elective surgeries, and procedures will be contacted by their providers. For these updates, check your account on kp.org.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to cover this story.
Aimee Plante
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