Will we see unions claim a “Striketober” phenomenon next month? Perhaps. In 2021, the media greatly overstated these reports as a whole, although one industry continues to see unrest amid already difficult conditions. As a result, healthcare systems (which are still chronically plagued by staffing shortages amplified by the pandemic) can’t seem to catch a break as workers keep heading to the picket lines.

From demands for higher wages to safety concerns, unions continue to further push hospitals’ schedules to their knees. Let’s give this industry another checkup:

• Kaiser Permanente’s woes appear to know no bounds. The California-based strike for mental healthcare clinicians already passed the fourth week mark. All of those canceled appointments continue to stack up while Kaiser acknowledged preparations for a 3-month strike at its facilities throughout the state. To that end, one of the U.S.’ largest healthcare employers has begun to recruit contracted therapists to fill the gap (with $10,000 signing bonuses and premium pay rates), all while California regulators opened an investigation into patient complaints about a lack of appointments. Over in Hawaii, the corresponding Kaiser mental healthcare clinician strike now heads into week two, and Kaiser nurses from 22 California facilities also went on strike to push for better contract terms.

• Oregon Health & Science University received bad news: Over 7,000 workers voted in favor of a strike after their union and OHSU management failed to reach a deal (workers want an 8% raise after the institution suffered a $77 million loss in fiscal 2022) following six months of contract talks. 

• SEIU-represented nursing home workers across Pennsylvania hit the picket lines over Labor Day weekend with more to come. As of last week, 24 facilities received notices of workers’ intent to strike, and thus far, workers at 14 of those nursing homes already made good (i.e., bad) on those promises. At issue are workers’ frustrations with pay rates and benefits after Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) opened up $300 million more per year in Medicaid funds for these facilities.

• A potentially historic nursing strike on the way: The Minnesota Nursing Association (which represents about 15,000 nurses) could soon wage the biggest private-sector nursing strike (in terms of membership) ever seen in the U.S., affecting 16 facilities, beginning with a three-day walkout on Sept. 12. And at the University of Wisconsin, nurses (who seek union recognition) will strike for four days, starting on Sept. 13.

• SEIU-represented food service workers also caught the healthcare-related striking fever in Minnesota, where Mayo Clinic campuses saw dozens of workers picket following the expiration of a 5-year contract. 

On the Covid-19 front, nursing unions expressed disappointment that OSHA (due to a DC Circuit court ruling) will not transform the emergency safety standard into a more permanent set of rules to help protect workers from the virus.

And in a move that reflects the Biden Effect on the NLRB, the board denied a Texas-based nurse’s request for access to a neutrality agreement, which had been secretly forged between HCA Holdings and a union. In doing so, the board upheld an administrative law judge’s decision that the nurse should not be allowed to access documents that could help herself and her colleagues boot their union.