Kaiser Permanente workers lined the streets outside of the Lakewood medical offices on Thursday morning, blaring music and holding signs at beeping cars. They are just a few of the 70,000 Kaiser employees striking across the country.

Thursday was the second day of the three-day strike, marring the work week with the largest health care worker strike in American history. Kaiser’s contract with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) expired Saturday, and the company has yet to reach an agreement with the union on increased wages, among other issues.

In a statement Wednesday evening, Kaiser stated that a “marathon effort” negotiation session ended without a settlement. 

Despite the lack of an official agreement, tentative bargains have been made between the groups. These include wage increases for the next four years, minimum wages of $21 an hour in Colorado and “enhancements” to retirement funds.

“We remain committed to reaching a new agreement that continues to provide our employees with market-leading wages, excellent benefits, generous retirement income plans, and valuable professional development opportunities,” according to Kaiser’s press release.

Charmaine Arellano, a medical assistant and union steward, has worked at Kaiser for 21 years. She said that, despite being hopeful for a new deal and brighter future at the company, the math is still not enough.

“We want better care for our patients. That’s why we’re here,” she said. “To do that, we need be able to hire staff and have that longevity of keeping staff. The only way to do that is to pay them a livable amount.”

The union has now asked for a 6.5% increase to Colorado worker wages – down from the initial 7%, according to the SEIU Local 105 website.

Kaiser countered with a 3.5% increase.

If the demands aren’t met by the end of the three-day strike on Friday, the Coalition may hold another strike, leaving Kaiser medical officers short-staffed again. 

What about the patients?

Around 3,000 union members are currently striking, representing nearly half of the 6,800 employees Kaiser in Colorado.

Despite the labor shortage, Kaiser has kept their Colorado urgent care and medical offices open. They have been forced to close some of their labs.

One patient entering the Lakewood medical offices was disgruntled.

“I had to drive all the way from Englewood because they didn’t have their lab open,” she said, declining to provide her name.

Otherwise, every patient entering the building in the morning said they were in support of the strike and had not experienced any drastic reductions in service.

“More power to them,” said one man.

Arellano noted that she had seen some of her patients in the parking lot and they told her they supported the movement.

“Ultimately, it’s for all of the patients and families,” she said.

“You have to remember that we’re are also patients of Kaiser Permanente … I’m a member, my kids are members, my grandparents and parents,” Arellano said. “We want to be in there with our patients. We want better care for them, at the end of the day.”

Kaiser said they worked to move up non-urgent appointments in preparation to the strike.

“We have robust plans in place to ensure patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care during the strike,” the press release said.

The future

Arellano said the company needs to provide better wages to bring in more staff. 

In the same strike-related announcement, Kaiser said: “We’ve met our goal of hiring 10,000 new Coalition-represented employees by year-end – and it is only October 4th. We’re not done yet. We are committed to addressing every area of staffing that is still challenging.”

Jeremy found himself in an unusual situation. He walked out of the Lakewood office with a resume in-hand and looked at the picket line. 

Jeremy, who declined to provide his last name, has a Bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science and a certified nursing assistant (CNA) certification. While he’s currently working at a veterinary office to keep in practice, he has been searching for a job in the medical field for around four years.

Jeremy said Kaiser told him they only hire internally and through a recruiter.

“I support the strike, I do. I’m just going to wait until it ends and everyone goes back to work, then I’ll keep looking,” he said.

The health care industry continues to face a staffing crisis despite Kaiser hiring 10,000 jobs.

Over the next three years, Colorado is expected to face a shortage of 54,000 lower wage health care workers and more than 10,000 registered nurses, according to an earlier report by The Denver Gazette. 

“I think it’s going to end up being the same old, same old,” Jeremy said of the strike. “It makes a great news story, but nothing is going to change.”

The United States is projected to face a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.