Kaiser Permanente on Tuesday asked members to get urgent laboratory testing done this week after unions for pharmacy and lab employees notified the non-profit health system that they plan to strike in Southern California. The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) informed Kaiser of a planned walkout by about 3,000 members beginning on February 9.
The potential new action comes against the backdrop of an ongoing, open-ended strike launched on January 26 by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), which represents more than 31,000 Kaiser employees in California and Hawaii. That nurses' strike entered its second week as the pharmacy and lab filing moved forward.
On its website, Kaiser advised members to have urgent laboratory tests completed by Saturday and to postpone routine testing until after the strikes. The health system said some outpatient lab services, including routine blood draw locations, may be temporarily closed starting Monday and that results for certain non-urgent tests could be delayed. Priority, Kaiser said, will be given to hospitalized patients, those in the Emergency Department, and patients who require urgent care services.
Kaiser reiterated that its hospitals and medical offices remain open, even while acknowledging that some pharmacies and clinics operated inside Target stores have been temporarily closed. For non-urgent prescriptions, the system encouraged members to use mail-in options. It also indicated that some appointments would be shifted to virtual care and that some elective procedures may need to be rescheduled.
During the current labor actions, Kaiser said facilities will continue to be staffed by physicians, managers, and trained staff, and that licensed contract professionals will be added as needed. The company said it has been negotiating to reach agreement on a new set of national and local contracts and that it is engaging in bargaining to that end.
The UFCW Southern California locals, which include pharmacy technicians and clinical lab scientists among their members, said the strike would begin on Monday "after Kaiser stalled bargaining and violated federal labor law." Both the UFCW and UNAC/UHCP asserted that Kaiser unlawfully walked away from an agreed-upon national bargaining process.
Kaiser employs around 250,000 non-physician staff and provides medical care for approximately 12.6 million members across California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. The situation in California and Hawaii is occurring as more than 15,000 nurses in New York, represented by the New York State Nurses Association, have been on strike for more than three weeks at private hospitals including Presbyterian, Mt. Sinai and Montefiore.
Operational guidance from Kaiser
- Complete urgent laboratory tests by Saturday.
- Postpone routine lab testing until after the strike period.
- Expect some outpatient lab locations and Target-based clinics and pharmacies to be temporarily closed.
- Use mail-in prescription services for non-urgent medication needs.
- Anticipate increased virtual appointments and potential rescheduling of elective procedures.
Note: The article reflects notifications and statements issued by the unions and Kaiser and reports the staffing and service adjustments Kaiser outlined for members and patients.