WASHINGTON — Around 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees will potentially take part in the largest healthcare strike in history Wednesday, after a collection of eight unions representing them said they had not struck an agreement with the company before their contracts ran out on Saturday.
In a statement, the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions said negotiations are stalled across the board on a number of issues, including pay, outsourcing, and medical plans for retirees.
"Kaiser continues to bargain in bad faith over these issues and, so far, there is no light at the end of the tunnel," coalition officials said in the statement.
Without a new contract in place by Wednesday, the coalition said its 75,000 members would begin striking, picketing outside of Kaiser offices. According to the union, it would be the largest healthcare worker's strike in history.
Kaiser Permanente, in an emailed statement, emphasized they would continue bargaining in an attempt to avert the strike before it begins.
"We remain optimistic that we will reach an agreement and avoid an unnecessary strike," Kaiser Permanente officials said.
The company took a much more optimistic tone about the state of negotiations, saying teams "continue to make progress on key issues" and pointed to tentative agreements struck over travel for continued education, traveling nurses and dispute resolution.
Even if a strike does happen on Oct. 4, Kaiser Permanente confirmed its hospitals and emergency departments would remain open, although scheduled visits such as doctor's appointments or pharmacy pickups may need to be rescheduled.
It's unclear if negotiators plan to continue actively bargaining Monday.
The potential strike comes as labor unions see a resurgence of power and popularity in the U.S. Writers in Hollywood were able to secure concessions from studios regarding pay and the use of artificial intelligence after a strike lasting more than three months.
And ongoing strikes by both actors in Los Angeles and auto workers in Detroit — have made major headlines in recent weeks.
President Joe Biden joined an auto workers picket line last month in a show of solidarity with the union, the first time a sitting president has ever done so.