US Actors, Auto Workers Followed by Medical Union Strike... Largest Scale Ever

In the United States, following Hollywood actors and the automobile labor union, the healthcare sector has also gone on strike. More than 75,000 people are participating in the largest simultaneous strike by healthcare workers in the U.S.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others on the 4th (local time), approximately 75,000 healthcare workers including nurses, pharmacists, technical staff, and office workers affiliated with Kaiser Permanente, a major nonprofit healthcare organization in the U.S., went on strike starting at 6 a.m. after wage negotiations with the hospital failed to reach a final agreement.

WSJ reported, "More than 75,000 employees have joined the strike," adding, "This is the largest strike in the U.S. healthcare sector since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began collecting related data in 1993."

[Image source=Getty Images Yonhap News]

The strike will last three days in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington state, and one day in Washington DC and Virginia. Kaiser Permanente operates hundreds of hospitals in Washington DC, Virginia, California, Colorado, Oregon, and other areas. The company plans to deploy replacement workers to minimize the impact of the strike on patients. Emergency rooms and other critical services are expected to operate normally.

Currently, the union is demanding staff increases and a 24.5% wage raise, citing inflation and a decline in the quality of medical services due to labor shortages following the pandemic. On the other hand, the company has proposed a 12.5% to 16% increase over four years. Kaiser reported revenue of $50.4 billion and a net profit of $3.3 billion in the first half of this year.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

This year, strikes have continued across various sectors in the U.S., including Hollywood actors, writers, and automobile unions. The Screen Actors Guild?American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike starting in July. Prior to that, Hollywood broadcast and film writers, who began striking in May, reached a tentative agreement at the end of last month and ended their strike. The United Auto Workers (UAW), which includes the so-called 'Big Three' automakers Ford, GM, and Stellantis, is also conducting an unprecedented simultaneous strike.

WSJ stated, "Up to August this year, the U.S. has recorded more lost workdays due to labor disputes than any year since 2000," adding, "With public support and a tight labor market, unions are demanding wage increases."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.