Kaiser Permanente workers across Southwest Washington, Oregon vote to authorize strike

Kaiser Permanente workers across Southwest Washington voted Friday to authorize their union to call a strike.

The Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals AFT Local 5017, AFL-CIO, represents about 3,700 Kaiser Permanente employees across Southwest Washington and Oregon, including registered nurses and lab professionals. Those employees are currently bargaining alongside 60,000 other members of the Alliance of Healthcare Unions, a federation of 23 local unions representing workers everywhere Kaiser Permanente operates.

The strike authorization vote began Sept. 15 and concluded Friday. Of 92 percent of union members who voted, 97 percent voted to authorize a strike, according to a Friday news release from the union.

The union’s contract is set to expire Sept. 30. Bargaining t