Editors’ note: This story originally appeared on KQED.
A months-long labor dispute over staffing and compensation at Kaiser Permanente escalated into an open-ended strike beginning Monday, threatening to disrupt operations at dozens of hospitals and clinics across California and Hawaii.
Thousands of nurses, physical therapists, midwives and other health professionals voted to walk off their jobs for days or even weeks to pressure California’s largest private employer to concede ground on top union demands, at a time the industry faces financial headwinds…