Local Voices
Health Care Workers Call For Better Conditions At Labor Day Rally In La Mesa
The rally was held to "address the current challenges faced by workers in California and the urgent need for improved working conditions."
September 5, 2023
More than 200 people attended a Labor Day rally Monday at Harry Griffen Park in support of better conditions for healthcare workers, a labor group spokesman said.
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The rally featured speeches from elected and labor officials, including Brigette Browning, president of Unite Here Local 30, San Diego City Councilman Raul Campillo, Carol Kim of the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, and county Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer.
According to SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, the rally was held to “address the current challenges faced by workers in California and will highlight the urgent need for improved working conditions, better support systems, and increased investment in the healthcare workforce.”
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The group’s Aaron Dietrich said he thought that “people were in high spirits on Labor Day to see the collective resolve of the coworkers, supporters and patients.”
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions is negotiating a new contract with the health care organization to replace the one that will expire Sept. 30.
Catherine Engler told KGTV that she’s been a nurse at a local Kaiser Permanente facility for 36 years, and that staffing conditions are making things more difficult.
“I can come in to work and it (will) only be one other person, and we can see 80 patients,” Engler said. “To get the proper care, you need to be able to do more than a minute with them. It doesn’t seem fair to spend a minute when they need much more.”
Kaiser Permanente issued a lengthy statement Friday on the negotiations.
“We hired over 29,000 new employees in 2022 and are on pace to exceed that substantially in 2023, despite the pandemic-driven labor shortage happening across health care,” the company said.
“We believe this is because talented people recognize the value of our current wage and benefit offerings and want to work at Kaiser Permanente,” the statement continued. “About 96% of candidates for coalition-represented positions accept our employment offers — significantly above the industry average.”
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