Kaiser imaging workers to join pharmacists on strike Nov. 1

Picket lines will grow at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon, Vancouver 

The following is from UFCW Local 555:

PORTLAND, Ore. (Oct. 23, 2023) — Last week, UFCW Local 555 notified Kaiser Permanente of a ULP strike for our members working under the Imaging Services contract. These professionals include X-ray, Mammography, MRI, CT, Nuclear Medicine, EEG, Cardiovascular lab, Special Procedures Technologists, Sonographers, Dosimetrist, Radiation Therapists, and Imaging Assistants. The Imaging ULP strike will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 6 a.m. and will end on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 3 p.m.

This comes as UFCW Local 555 is learning of prescription mix-ups due to the ongoing Pharmacy ULP Strike.

“I’m a pharmacy tech currently standing with my fellow Kaiser workers on the picket line, but I still rely on Kaiser as my healthcare provider,” said Phoua Yang, Pharmacy Technician and KP Patient. “I tried to refill my birth control prescription but ended up with another patient’s antibiotics being mailed to me instead. My pharmacy background helped me spot the mix-up, but there’s no telling how many other mistakes went unnoticed. Kaiser needs to come to the table with a meaningful offer because the replacement workers they brought in clearly aren’t adequately prepared for the task at hand.”

Imaging services members will join the Pharmacy Technicians on ULP strike at the following locations:

Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center Campus
10180 SE Sunnyside Rd
Clackamas, OR 97015

Kaiser Airport Way Center
5717, 5721 and 5725 NE 138th Ave
Portland, OR 97230

Kaiser North Lancaster Medical Office
2400 Lancaster Dr NE
Salem, OR 97305

Kaiser Westside Medical Center Campus
2875 NE Stucki Ave
Hillsboro, OR 97124

Kaiser Cascade Park Medical Office
12607 SE Mill Plain Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98684

“Behind every doctor and pharmacist is a team of dedicated professionals,” said Dan Clay, President, UFCW Local 555. “Kaiser Permanente treats its supporting professionals as dispensable and easily replaced, but these strikes are showing that they are the bedrock of our healthcare system and it’s time to treat these people with the respect they deserve.”

These ULP strikes are to deal with unfair labor practices. Bargaining is ongoing, with the next session scheduled for Oct. 27.

United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 555 represents more than 30,000 workers in Oregon, southwest Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming. Its membership consists of workers in retail, manufacturing, health care and many other industries. Learn more at ufcw555.org.