The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others reported on the 4th that workers in the U.S. healthcare industry have entered the largest strike in history. This year, there has been a series of labor disputes in the U.S., with Hollywood’s writers and actors’ union and the auto union going on strike one after another.
75,000 employees of Kaiser Permanente, a large U.S. medical company, went on strike for three consecutive days from this day to the 6th. Nurses, pharmacists, as well as technical and office workers, cleaners, etc. participated in the strike regardless of occupation. The WSJ reported that this was the largest strike in the medical field since 1993, when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began collecting related data.
Kaiser Permanente, which operates hundreds of hospitals across the United States, has a total of about 210,000 employees. The union negotiated with the management, demanding improvements in the poor working environment following the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), including a wage increase of at least 24.5% and additional staff, but failed to reach an agreement.
The union argues that a high level of wage increase is inevitable as real wages have decreased significantly due to high inflation and performance in the first half of this year has been strong. Kaiser recorded sales of $50.4 billion (approximately 68 trillion won) and net profit of $3.3 billion (approximately 7.25 trillion won) in the first half of this year. On the other hand, the company is maintaining its position that it cannot accept this.
In the United States, where labor shortages and high prices have worsened since COVID-19, strikes demanding improved working conditions continue. Previously, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) also went on strike for about 150 days starting in May this year, demanding wage increases and improved treatment, and recently concluded negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The Hollywood Actors and Broadcasters’ Union (SAG-AFTRA) has been on strike since July of this year, and negotiations are still ongoing. In addition, the United Automobile Workers’ Union (UAW) is also carrying out a strike targeting the ‘big three’ American automakers, including General Motors (GM), Ford, and Stellantis.
In particular, workers’ fear of losing their jobs to new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) is also considered a factor causing strikes. UAW and SAG-AFTRA, which had previously gone on strike, each pointed to the spread of electric vehicles and AI as the main reason for the strike.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.