Kaiser workers involved in Oakland civil disobedience over contract talks
OAKLAND — On a day created to honor the labor movement, 68 Kaiser Permanente workers formed a human circle to block a busy intersection outside the Oakland hospital Monday in an act of civil disobedience to publicize their anger and frustration over on-going contract negotiations with the health care giant.
The Labor Day action at the intersection of Broadway and West MacArthur Boulevard, came after a rally at nearby Mosswood Park attended by more than 1,500 Kaiser workers from all over Northern California. They were joined by elected officials and others, including actor Danny Glover, in a show of support. Glover was not at the rally but gave words of encouragement at the intersection to those in the circle and the others present.
After being told they were part of an unlawful assembly, the employees were removed from the intersection by Oakland police, who had blocked off several streets in the area to accommodate the rally, march and civil disobedience. The employees were identified, had their names taken by police for a report and were then released.
One of those in the circle was Ron Cook, of Oakland, a 17-year Kaiser employee, most recently in patient transport at the Redwood City hospital. He said he was in the circle “to protect our rights, not only for the workers but to make sure patients get the best care.”
Among the unions’ main issues are what they say are staffing shortages, low wages, outsourcing of jobs, and high pay Kaiser executives receive. Workers say Kaiser, a non-profit company, has shifted from prioritizing patients and the community to making profits and enriching top executives.
Fay Eastman, a patient care technician at Kaiser Oakland for 12 year who emceed the rally, told the gathering “we have to show Kaiser we mean business and we will never back down.”
She said workers want Kaiser to bargain in good faith and stop committing unfair labor practices. Workers, she said, want a new contract that would “restore a true worker-management partnership and have Kaiser bargain in good faith, ensure safe staffing and compassionate use of technology, build the workforce of the future to deal with major projected shortages or licensed and accredited staff in coming year and protect middle class jobs with wages and benefits that can support families.”
State Sen. Nancy Skinner, (D-Berkeley) praised the workers for what they are trying to accomplish and said Henry Kaiser, who founded the huge company decades ago and really cared about employees, “would not recognize the Kaiser we have today.” Skinner said “we want the highest health care possible” and the only way that can happen is to have “happy, well protected” employees taken care of “just like patients.”
In a statement, Arlene Peasnall, Kaiser Permanente Senior Vice President, Human Resources, said “We may have occasional disagreement, but we always work through these challenges to align on common goals that are in the best interest of our members, patients, employees and the communities we serve.
“Our efforts to involve our workforce in decision-making and create an environment of continuous learning and improvement over the past 70 plus years have set the bar for how labor and management can work together,” Peasnall said. She said Kaiser Permanente has contracts with 60 unions and “offer highly competitive salaries and wages while also making health care more accessible and affordable.”
The rally and protest happened as more than 80,000 Kaiser employees nationwide — 66,000 of them in California — represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions and who have been without a labor contract since last September, prepare to strike in October. The unions represent all Kaiser employees except doctors and registered nurses.