The Newsom administration seeks to tie the raises for healthcare workers to the state revenue, effectively allowing the postponement of the wage increases indefinitely.
If the CKPU is unwilling to provide such information, which all members are entitled to know, then there is no reason to accept the claim that the contract was passed at all.
Kaiser Permanente, UNITE Here! Local 5 and the University of Hawaii Maui College are launching a program to train current employees to become Licensed Practical Nurses. Once licensed, the cohort participants will have the opportunity to apply and fill critical open Kaiser Permanente LPN positions. The program aims to address the state’s nursing shortage which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, over 100,000 Kaiser workers demonstrated their willingness to join together to fight against the systematic dismantling of the health care system. They faced a pan-union conspiracy, acting on behalf of the Democratic Party to keep workers isolated from each other, pushing through concessions contracts against growing rank-and-file opposition.
As Kaiser workers begin their powerful strike for their patients and the greater needs of society, their widespread anger must be given political expression with a socialist perspective.