Some employees of the health care provider Kaiser Permanente walked off the job in protest of what they called bad faith bargaining and staffing problems.
In Maryland, all facilities are open but there may be picketers.
A one-day strike that began at 6 a.m. Wednesday covered parts of Virgnia and Washington, D.C.
Offices in Maryland are expected to remain open. However, patients may see picketers during the next three days.
According to a news release from The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers in multiple states are striking to protest Kaiser executives’ failure to bargain in good faith over unsafe staffing levels at hundreds of Kaiser hospitals and facilities across the United States.
The strike is expected to last for three days and is considered the largest healthcare worker strike in U.S. history, according to the news release.
“Kaiser executives are refusing to listen to us and are bargaining in bad faith over the solutions we need to end the Kaiser short-staffing crisis,” said Jessica Cruz, a licensed vocational nurse at Kaiser Los Angeles Medical Center.
“I see my patients’ frustrations when I have to rush them and hurry on to my next patient. That’s not the care I want to give. We’re burning ourselves out trying to do the jobs of two or three people, and our patients suffer when they can’t get the care they need due to Kaiser’s short-staffing.”
Kaiser Permanente sent an email to its subscribers, noting, “As a result of this activity, we may experience high call volumes resulting in longer than usual wait times. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience.”
Some of pharmacy and optometry departments in Virginia will be impacted. However, pharmacies in Maryland and D.C. remain open.
In Northern Virginia, Burke, Colonial Forge and Haymarket Crossroads medical center pharmacies are closed Wednesday.
Optometry centers in Ashburn, Burke, Colonial Force, Fair Oaks, Falls Church, Reston and Springfield are closed Wednesday.
This morning at 6 a.m. Pacific health care workers at Kaiser Permanente walked out on strike.
75,000 workers just launched the biggest strike the U.S. health care industry has ever seen. pic.twitter.com/0646ATKkY2
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) October 4, 2023
