Good Monday morning!
Thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers in San Diego County are walking off the job and onto the picket lines this morning. We’re bringing you the latest on the negotiations and how the strike could impact patients.
Breaking overnight, multiple crews were called to a Spring Valley strip mall after a fire ripped through several businesses.
We also have the Weekend Wrap-Up for the stories you may have missed the past couple of days, the latest microclimate forecasts to help you plan your work week, and more news you can use in the January 26 edition of your Streamline newsletter:
WEEKEND WRAP-UP
THE STREAMLINE
WATCH — ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Monday, Jan. 26 -- everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:
TOP STORY
Kaiser Permanente nurses and health care professionals in San Diego County are expected to be part of a 31,000-person unfair labor practices strike at facilities in California and Hawaii starting Monday.
Members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals and promise to stay out until a fair contract agreement is reached. The strike was set to begin at 7 a.m. Monday.
"We're not going on strike to make noise," said Charmaine S. Morales, RN, President of UNAC/UHCP. "We're striking because Kaiser has committed serious unfair labor practices and because Kaiser refuses to bargain in good faith over staffing that protects patients, workload standards that stop moral injury, and the respect and dignity that Kaiser caregivers have been denied for far too long.
"Striking is the lawful power of working people, and we are prepared to use it on behalf of our profession and patients," Morales said.
Workers on the picket lines will focus on the what they say is a growing crisis caused by Kaiser's failure to invest in safe staffing levels, timely access to quality care and fair wages for frontline caregivers.
The union filed an unfair labor practice charge against Kaiser with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the company walked away from the bargaining table in December and has attempted to bypass the agreed-upon national bargaining process. The union had been bargaining with Kaiser since last May.
Picket lines will also go up at Kaiser hospitals and clinics in Northern California, Central California, and Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties, as well as in Hawaii.
The pickets in San Diego County will be held at:
- San Marcos Medical Center, 360 Rush Drive, San Marcos
- San Diego Medical Center, 9455 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego
- Zion Medical Center, 4647 Zion Ave., San Diego
A statement released by Kaiser Permanente said it has plans to ensure members and patients receive safe, high-quality care.
"Our focus remains on reaching agreements that recognize the vital contributions of our employees while ensuring excellent, affordable care. We have proposed 21.5% wage increases -- our strongest national bargaining offer ever -- and we are prepared to close agreements at local tables now. Employees deserve their raises, and patients deserve our full attention, not prolonged disputes."
Kaiser has also posted strike guidance for its members on its websites.
"If a strike does happen, our hospitals and medical offices will stay open." it states. "Some pharmacies would close. We have robust plans in place to ensure continued care.
"We may need to reschedule some nonurgent appointments and elective surgeries. If you have an appointment scheduled on a possible strike date, please don't cancel or reschedule. We'll contact you if we have to reschedule your appointment. "
Camille Applin-Jones, senior vice president at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, described the offer as "one of the strongest nursing contract offers in California this year" once step increases and local adjustments are factored in.
"Despite the union's claims, this strike is about wages. This open- ended strike by UNAC/UHCP is unnecessary when such a generous offer is on the table. The strike is designed to disrupt the lives of our patients -- the very people we are all here to serve," Applin-Jones said.
Story by City News Service
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BREAKING OVERNIGHT
A fire destroyed multiple businesses at a Spring Valley strip mall early Monday morning.
San Miguel Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched to a shopping plaza in the 8300 block of Paradise Valley Road, near Worthington Street, at around 2:45 a.m. after a fire erupted at a clothing store and led to its roof collapsing.
The flames quickly spread to next-door businesses before crews were able to put out the blaze.
ABC 10News learned two businesses were destroyed and two other businesses sustained some damage.
No injuries were reported.
The cause of the 3-alarm fire is under investigation.
In addition to San Miguel Fire & Rescue, crews from Heartland, National City, Chula Vista and San Diego Fire-Rescue joined the firefighting efforts.
CONSUMER
Even if you haven’t thought about this year’s vacation plans, it might be time to start saving up.
WATCH — Consumer reporter Marie Coronel talks to a financial expert about the steps you should take right now to get ready for that much-deserved R&R:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH
San Diego library advocates are calling for increased funding after Mayor Todd Gloria's recent State of the City address failed to mention the city's struggling library system.
The San Diego Public Library Foundation believes libraries have not been a priority for the city, especially following major budget cuts that forced reduced hours and services across the system.
WATCH — Reporter Karina Vargas follows through with the continued efforts to obtain more funding for city libraries:
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