An important notice from Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente was recently notified by UNITE HERE! Local 5, which
represents some of the support staff at our Hawaii clinics and hospital, that
they intend to strike beginning at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, November 22.

We’re very disappointed in the union’s action. We’ve been bargaining in good
faith with Local 5 as a member of the Alliance of Health Care Unions since
April and sincerely believe that a strike is unwarranted, especially given the
strength of the current proposal and Kaiser Permanente’s already market-leading
wages and benefits. Our current offer includes pay increases and no benefit
reductions for all current Alliance employees.

To learn more about negotiations, visit kp.org/labor.

We want to assure you that in the event of a strike, our facilities will be staffed
by our trained and experienced managers and the contingency staff we are
bringing in as needed, and our physicians will continue to be here to care for
patients. We also have other contingency plans in place to continue to ensure
our members and patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care.

Patients with existing appointments should keep their appointments. There is
no need to call us or email your doctor. If there are changes in our services, you’ll
be contacted. We apologize for any inconvenience this work stoppage may cause.

We want to keep you informed as this situation evolves. You will find up-to-date
information at kp.org/labor and kpinhawaii.org.

Mahalo for your patience and understanding.

If I read a different article correctly, Kaiser stands to lose up to 2,000 employees to this strike. I don’t see how Kaiser can continue without risking people’s lives even with contingency plans. There is no way they can replace any where near 2,000 trained employees in this current labor market. Most union labor agreements usually forbid the employer to hire employees in order to cover or replace the on strike union worker. For those who have Kaiser you should also have a contingency plan.

another lockdown...

Looks like it was a good time to switch my wife to Medicare part C with HMSA this last June.