Kaiser Permanente health care workers vote to authorize strike

OREGON, USA — Health care workers at Oregon and southwest Washington Kaiser Permanente facilities have voted to authorize a strike, according to union officials.

On Friday, 97% of Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP) members voted to authorize a strike. Around 60,000 members Alliance of Healthcare Unions are also bargaining alongside OFNHP.

The strike would involve registered nurses; professionals, which include social workers, cancer counselors, audiologists, physical therapists and mental health therapists; and lab professionals walking out at clinics across both states, including at Kaiser Westside Medical Center and Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center, the union said.

The vote itself allows OFNHP leaders to give Kaiser 10 days’ notice before a strike begins, any