In the latest sign of mounting labor unrest in the health care industry, thousands of Kaiser Permanente frontline health workers in Oregon and southwest Washington walked off the job early Tuesday, part of a coordinated strike spanning several states.
The walkout — which is slated to end by 7 a.m. Sunday — involves about 4,000 employees who work at Kaiser’s Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas, Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro and dozens of clinics and surgical centers stretching along the Interstate 5 corridor from Longview, Washington, to Eugene.
The striking workers are represented by the Oregon Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals, which include nurses, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physician associates, midwives, genetic counselors, physical and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, dietitians and other specialty health care professionals…