Kaiser Permanente Colorado workers vote overwhelmingly to authorize nationwide strike

Colorado’s Kaiser Permanente workers voted overwhelmingly in support of a nationwide strike in October over unfair labor practices.

Ninety-six percent of those who voted in the state supported authorizing a strike, the Service Employees International Union Local 105 said in a news release. The vote took place between Aug. 26 and Sept. 11, and 62% of workers participated.

“Kaiser has strayed too far from its mission — instead of prioritizing quality patient care and the workers who help provide it, they have shifted their focus to maximizing profits for their executives,” said Patricia Johnson-Gibson, a health care vice president at SEIU Local 105 in Denver. “We hope this strike vote sends a message to Kaiser that workers are willing to do whatever it takes to advocate for our patients and our families.”

More than 80,000 Kaiser workers around the country voted over the past three weeks, the union said, including more than 3,000 in Colorado. Contract talks between Kaiser and unions representing its workers derailed in July.

Read more: https://www.denverpost.com/2019/09/11/kaiser-permanente-colorado-strike-vote/