This week, multiple sources reported that a coalition of Kaiser Permanente unions is preparing to vote on strike authorization. The coalition represents approximately 85,000 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities nationwide, one of the largest organized groups in the industry.
The coalition says it is fighting for better working conditions, staffing ratios and more equitable pay, among other things. It explains in an open letter: “After three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are simply not enough health workers to provide safe and appropriate care for patients. Even before the pandemic, we faced a shortage of health workers; Now, it is becoming a full-fledged crisis that threatens all aspects of patient care. Many of our co-workers have left and many are considering leaving as we deal with the emotional impact of the pandemic and the feeling that our safety at work is not secure. Plus, after what we’ve suffered and as inflation squeezes our families, it’s time to see pay rates in retail, hospitality and other sectors rising much faster than what we’re seeing in our hospitals and facilities. is disappointing.
Indeed, the healthcare workforce has changed significantly over the past decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic was a particularly disruptive force on the industry. Shortages have become incredibly prevalent, especially as the workforce changes due to increased fatigue, declining wages, and changes in worker sentiment. Late last year, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the current Surgeon General of the United States, wrote an article in the New England Journal of Medicine titled: Confronting health worker burnout and well-being. In the article, Dr. Murthy states that “more than half of healthcare workers report symptoms of burnout, And many are struggling with insomnia, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other mental health challenges.,
The American Medical Association independently discussed a study that surveyed nearly 43,000+ people; The results indicated that “half of all respondents met the criteria for burnout, with 47.3% of clinicians reporting that they felt burned out. More than one-quarter of all respondents also expressed an intention to leave their jobs, with 24.3% of physicians saying they planned to leave in the next two years.
Irvine, CA, USA – Kaiser Permanente is one of the largest health care systems in the world.
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But this sentiment is not exclusive to the healthcare industry. Prevailing research has repeatedly indicated that burnout is on the rise in nearly all industries, noting that many sectors are facing a similar situation to healthcare. Workers are hard to find and even harder to retain, especially given rising wage requirements in a scenario of rapidly rising cost of living. In addition, workers report a general sense of dissatisfaction, meaning wages and working conditions are often relied upon to compensate for or compensate for a lack of job satisfaction – a challenging task even in the best of economic climates. is an achievement.
Organizational psychologists and experts discuss it as a great commentary on the state of the work economy and current corporate culture, which many believe is the cause of increasing burnout. In fact, some states are apparently considering legislation to implement a 4-day work week for corporations in an effort to address some of the larger systemic problems in the work culture and increase retention of good workers.
For health care, a 4-day workweek is not possible, given that it is a 24/7/365 requirement. However, there are still other ways that working conditions can be improved, such as better nurse and patient staffing ratios, longer hours, and better access to resources.
The Kaiser organization has issued its own statement: “Kaiser Permanente remains fully committed to reaching an agreement with the unions affiliated with the coalition, as we have done in every national bargaining since 1999. Our priority is to achieve a to reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial and ensures that we can continue to provide our people with market-competitive wages and excellent benefits… We, like all health care organizations, have learned to respond to the pandemic and its lasting effects have experienced driven staffing challenges. For health care systems, this is made worse by the backlog in care and the need and acuity we are seeing across the country.
The organizations are in continuous discussions to reach an agreement and both appear determined to find a productive way forward. However, if an amicable solution is not agreed upon soon, the likely strike will affect the lives of lakhs of patients.
