Filipino-American medical workers in the US have gone on strike, joining educators and Hollywood workers over the past year.
Some 75,000 workers of Kaiser Permanente across several states began the three-day strike which is said to be the largest for medical workers in US labor history, an ABS-CBN News report said.
Filipino-Americans who have worked at Kaiser’s Panorama City branch in California over the past 20 years were included in the strike, the report said.
The striking workers are represented by a union coalition, which is fighting for different support staff. The union is also calling for an increase in staffing.
“We’re being understaffed and overworked,” said Gaudensio Sena, a Kaiser file clerk. “It’s very stressful for us and for our patients.” Kaiser, meanwhile, has said that its hospitals and its emergency departments will remain open, while some non-emergency and elective services will be rescheduled.
It also claimed that it is making progress at the negotiating table with the unions, as it insisted that it has been a leader in worker wages in the industry.
Janet Manzo, one of the workers, was quoted by the report as saying: “Kaiser needs to stop being greedy. It’s the worst thing that can happen but we are pretty strong, we’re united.”
On top of fighting for higher wages, workers also alleged that the healthcare company giant is trying to “strip them off of their benefits.”
Another Kaiser employee, Nick Magsino, said: “We have our benefits but [they] want to keep our benefits.”
Serafin Salvador, a certified nursing assistant, also said: “They are trying to cut it down.”