Strike begins, Colorado Kaiser Permanente health care workers start picketing
Tens of thousands of workers at Kaiser Permanente health care locations -- including in Colorado -- are now on strike.
Picketing has begun outside facilities like the Aurora Centrepoint Medical Offices where the strikers are wearing purple shirts and waving signs, many saying "PATIENT CARE!" There are approximately 30 places in Colorado where the picketing will be happening.
"A few years ago we were just considered healthcare heroes, and now we're out here on the strike line because we want respect," said Jeannette McCain, a nurse.
The strike is the largest for health care workers in U.S. history and is expected to last for three days. Kaiser Permanente management and union leaders spent the night and into this morning trying to work out a deal.
"People don't want to work at a company when they're not willing to pay us what we deserve," said Charmaine Arellano, a medical assistant who's worked for Kaiser Permanente for more than 20 years. "We went from heroes to zeroes. When did corporate greed get in the way of patients?"
With so many health providers off the job right now as discussions at the bargaining table continue, some patients and their families are feeling the pinch.
"Very uncoordinated," Vince Ornelas said of the KP facility in Lakewood following a visit for a relative. "The most important thing are the patients, so it's hard seeing everything kind of out of whack."
Over the weekend, the two sides failed to reach an agreement with the main issues being low pay, short staffing and long wait times that employees say many patients are facing.
"The hope is to have a resolution today," added McCain, "so that all these people who take great care of the patients can get back to do doing what they do best, which is taking care of the patients."
In addition to Colorado, the strike is happening in California, Oregon, Virginia, Washington state and Washington, D.C., according to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.
Kaiser said medical offices and urgent care departments would remain open. They said some non-urgent appointments and procedures might need to be rescheduled. They said patients would be contacted in advance about that. More information about the impact is available at kaiserpermanente.org/colorado/.
During the strike, Kaiser Permanente will only be able to take credit card, debit card, and FSA card payments in the pharmacy locations.
These Kaiser Permanente pharmacies will be CLOSED during a strike:
- Denver/Boulder: Baseline (Boulder), Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Ken Caryl (Littleton), Parker, and Skyline (Denver)
- Northern Colorado: Fort Collins and Greeley
- Southern Colorado: Acero (Pueblo), Briargate (Colorado Springs), and Premier (Colorado Springs)
Members visiting medical offices with closed pharmacies will be given the option by their doctor to fill prescriptions at a network retail pharmacy or an open Kaiser Permanente pharmacy.
Laboratory and medical imaging
Some of our laboratory and medical imaging departments may be temporarily closed during the strike.
* In addition to the open locations listed above, the Banner Health Network will be available for lab work in Northern Colorado. Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp will be available for lab work in Southern Colorado.
These Kaiser Permanente labs will be CLOSED during a strike:
- Denver/Boulder: Arapahoe (Centennial), Baseline (Boulder), Brighton, Castle Rock, East Denver, Englewood, Hidden Lake (Westminster), Highlands Ranch, Ken Caryl (Littleton), Longmont, Parker, Skyline (Denver), Smoky Hill (Aurora), Southwest (Littleton), and Wheat Ridge
- Northern Colorado: Fort Collins and Greeley
- Southern Colorado: Acero (Pueblo), Briargate (Colorado Springs), Parkside (Colorado Springs), and Pueblo North
