Kaiser Permanente to Remain Open During Possible Employee Strikes

Kaiser Permanente sent an email to patients over the weekend notifying them of potential strikes and work stoppages from its employees starting at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and ending at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

Despite the potential strike, the Kaiser Permanente email says it is prepared to continue to provide regular services at all of its Northern California locations, including the Hayward medical offices at 27400 Hesperian Blvd. on and the at 3555 Whipple Rd.

Kaiser Permanente is in contract negotiations with the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), which represents optical workers and behavioral health employees.

The California Nurses Association is calling for a work-stoppage in support of the strike.

According to a statement released by Gay Westfall, Senior Vice President of Kaiser's Human Resources, Kaiser Permanente Northern California has been bargaining with NUHW for more than a year. It currently has 31 signed tentative agreements with each NUHW unit.

He said for more than six months, Kaiser Permanente has been waiting for a proposal from NUHW in response to Kaiser's first proposal on wages and benefits.

"The union’s allegations that KP is proposing to eliminate retirement benefits are simply untrue," Westfall said in the statement.

Some optical sales departments may be closed Tuesday, according to a statement on Kaiser's website. If elective procedures need to be rescheduled, patients will receive a phone call.

For more information, visit the Kaiser website to read a statement from the company.