Kaiser Healthcare Workers to Picket Across Northern Calif. Over Short-Staffing, Threats to Patient Care, in Solidarity with Striking Hospital Engineers, says SEIU-UHW

MODESTO, Calif., Oct. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers and allies will start picketing across Northern California on Monday, Oct. 18 to protest short-staffing, threats to patient care, and in solidarity with engineers from Local 39 who are on strike at Kaiser. SEIU-UHW and other union members are demanding Kaiser improve staffing levels and invest in its current workforce.

"Healthcare workers have been stretched so thin that we're at a breaking point," said Maria Encisco, Medical Assistant, Kaiser Union City. "Our engineer co-workers are the heart of patient safety and care, working right at our sides. If your loved one needs a ventilator, it's an engineer who makes sure it works.  It's on them to make sure everything in our hospitals works ? from life support machines to plumbing ? but they're overloaded and short-staffed like the rest of us. Kaiser needs to stop disrespecting them and understaffing our hospitals."

The Local 39 engineers keep Kaiser hospital patients and workers safe by ensuring everything inside and outside the building is running smoothly ? testing emergency generators, fire lights safety, hot water boilers, cooling towers, and maintaining every single patient room and all bathrooms. They also maintain medical equipment ? ventilators, life support machines, pumps, IV machines, and every other machine used to keep patients alive.

Despite being a non-profit organization ? which means it pays no income taxes on its earnings and extremely limited property taxes ? Kaiser Permanente reported a net income of $6.4 billion in 2020.

More than 58,000 Kaiser Permanente employees are members of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW). Local 39 represents approximately 700 engineers across Kaiser.

WHAT: Healthcare workers wearing uniforms and picketing with signs, handing out

leaflets, chanting, blowing whistles in protest of Kaiser's short-staffing and in    

support of striking Local 39 union members.

PICKET LOCATIONS, DATES, TIMES:

Monday, Oct 18

Kaiser Modesto - 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct 19

Kaiser Fremont - 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Kaiser Santa Rosa - 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct 20 

Kaiser San Francisco - 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Kaiser Vallejo - 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct 21 

Kaiser Oakland - 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Kaiser San Leandro - 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Kaiser Richmond - 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct 22 

Kaiser South San Francisco - 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct 26

Kaiser San Jose - 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Kaiser Stockton - 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Kaiser San Rafael - 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct 27 

Kaiser Redwood City- 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Kaiser Antioch - 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Kaiser Vacaville - 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Kaiser South Sacramento - 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct 28 

Kaiser Santa Clara- 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Kaiser Walnut Creek - 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Kaiser Fresno - 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Kaiser Sacramento - 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians, provided by valued and respected healthcare workers. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.

SOURCE SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West