Low Pay Sparks Worker Strikes Across U.S.

ACROSS AMERICA — The longest worker strike in Massachusetts history is happening now in Worcester, where more than 700 nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital are refusing to work, claiming unacceptable staffing problems made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

It's a similar story across the country.

Last month in Washington state, work on hundreds of Puget Sound construction projects was halted by a strike by the Northwest Carpenters Union. Last week, thousands of Hollywood workers went on strike, demanding higher pay. In Oregon over the weekend, about 3,400 health care workers voted to go on strike. And last week, about 1,400 Kellogg Co. workers went on strike, closing cereal plants across the country.

Low pay appears to be the common denominator.

“I think the accumulated effects of the loss of good jobs in manufacturing, stagnant wages, growing inequality, and the growing disparity between executives and managers and the workforce — all of that is fueling increases in organizing,” Tom Kochan, an MIT professor and employment expert, told Time.

The striking nurses in Worcester claim the for-profit Tenet Healthcare Corp., which runs St. Vincent Hospital, tripled its revenue this year. In 2020, Tenet CEO Ronald Rittenmeyer's compensation was more than $24 million.

The nurses emphasize it's not just about the money — it's about their safety.

"Tenet management's response to our concerns, their refusal to agree to providing nurses with widely accepted policies to keep our patients safe, and their attempt to bully us into accepting this dangerous plan is reprehensible," Saint Vincent nurse Marlena Pellegrino told Patch's Neal McNamara before the strike.

The nurse strike has stretched on for seven months, with few signs an agreement is near.

Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute, told Time the government has made it difficult for workers to strike and pointed to Amazon's successful campaign against an Amazon worker union vote in Alabama in April.

In Oregon, the striking health care workers are demanding more than the 1 percent pay raise offered by Kaiser Permanante.

"Striking is always our last resort, but Kaiser seems determined to push forward proposals that would hurt staff, patients, and our entire public health system," Jodi Barschow, a nurse and president of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, told Patch's Colin Miner. "Kaiser needs to do the right thing and put our patients before profits."

The Kellogg Co. strike includes plants in Nebraska, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. The union claims workers are underpaid; the company said it is considering moving operations to Mexico.

"A lot of Americans probably don't have too much issue with the Nike or Under Armor hats being made elsewhere or even our vehicles, but when they start manufacturing our food down where they are out of the FDA control and OSHA control, I have a huge problem with that," Daniel Osborn, president of the Nebraska Kellogg workers union, told The Associated Press.

Said Kellogg spokesperson Kris Bahner, "We are disappointed by the union's decision to strike. Kellogg provides compensation and benefits for our U.S. ready to eat cereal employees that are among the industry's best."

Patch staff writer Neal McNamara, Patch staff writer Colin Miner and The Associated Press contributed to the story.