Thousands of nurses strike at Kaiser as rain pounds Southern California

Thousands of union nurses and healthcare professionals armed with bullhorns and raincoats picketed during a strong Pacific storm Tuesday in Southern California as they began a five-day strike at Kaiser Permanente facilities.

At the Kaiser Medical Center in Ontario, more than 600 people were on the picket line along Vineyard Avenue. Many of the picketers complained about replacements brought into the healthcare company to fill their jobs for the week.

“It’s a slap in the face for every nurse who is here striking for better working conditions and better wages,” said nurse Jennifer Cabrera, who has worked at Kaiser in Ontario since 2011. “About 100 nurses were brought to Ontario by Uber from a Los Angeles hotel, many of who had flown in from the Midwest.”

On Monday, Kaiser officials said the healthcare company hired up to 7,600 nurses, clinicians and other staff to replace union workers during the strike in California, Oregon and Hawaii. More than 1,000 of Kaiser’s workforce also volunteered to be reassigned to work in strike locations.

Kaiser spokesman Terry Kanakri said the healthcare provider is shifting appointments to virtual care via phone, video or e-chat programs and may need to reschedule certain appointments, elective surgeries and procedures.

The union is striking for high wages and benefits and better hiring practices. It initially sought a 38% raise and is now seeking a 25% raise. Kaiser has offered a 21.5% raise over four years.

On Tuesday, striking nurses in Ontario walked through mud and pounding rain pouring while under an E-Z up tent deejay Alfredo Vargas played “fight the Power” by hip hop group Public Enemy. “When we fight, we win. Nurses care, so pay us fair,” chanted Talia Lopez through a bullhorn.

“It’s not just nursing. You also have the people who clean the rooms and make sure the facilities are nice. You also have the food and nutrition people who bring food to the patients,” said Joshua Scruggs, a registered nurse at the Kaiser center in Ontario since 2014. “It’s hospital-wide. We want safe working conditions and better pay. This used to be a facility that everyone wanted to work at. It’s hard to keep people now.”

Besides Ontario, picket lines were set up at 16 Kaiser medical facilities in Southern California, including Anaheim, Bakersfield, Baldwin Park, Downey, Fontana, Harbor City, Lancaster, Los Angeles, Panorama City, Riverside, San Diego, San Marcos, West Los Angeles, Woodland Hills and two locations in San Diego.

Members of the Alliance of Health Care Unions includes 62,000 union members working at Kaiser nationwide. The contracts of 46,000 of these Kaiser workers expired Sept. 30 or Oct. 1, and nearly all of their local unions have given Kaiser 10-day strike notices.

The vast majority of union members work in California, where one in four residents receive care from Kaiser. The medical care provider employs about 180,000 people in California.