Hundreds of healthcare workers held a Labor Day rally Sept. 4 at Harry Griffen Park in La Mesa.

Organized by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), the rally featured speeches from healthcare professionals, elected officials, and labor leaders who addressed the current challenges faced by workers in California and highlighted the urgent need for improved working conditions, better support systems, and increased investment in the healthcare workforce.

After years of reported unsafe staffing and being on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic, healthcare workers at giant, wealthy systems such as Kaiser Permanente, Fresenius Kidney Care, and other corporations, have been dealing with reported burnout and leaving the industry, leading to significant staffing shortages.

“We are burnt out, stretched thin, and fed up after years of the pandemic and chronic short staffing. Corporate healthcare providers are failing workers and patients, and we are at crisis levels in our hospitals and medical centers. We all suffer when there aren’t enough healthcare workers to provide quality care,” said Tristan Amasa, licensed vocational nurse at Fresenius Kidney Care. “Large healthcare systems like Fresenius Kidney Care and Kaiser Permanente take in billions of dollars in profits, yet they refuse to safely staff their facilities or pay many of their workers a living wage. We are standing up for our patients and our communities so they can get the quality healthcare care they deserve.”

Healthcare workers in Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Diego held simultaneous Labor Day demonstrations.

Dozens of healthcare workers were arrested in a civil disobedience action in front of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Hollywood after a Labor Day rally and march. Healthcare workers were calling for Kaiser Permanente, Prime Healthcare, Fresenius Kidney Care, and healthcare providers across the state to act urgently to address the patient care crisis caused by understaffed hospitals and clinics.

The Labor Day unrest follows weeks of mounting tensions between healthcare workers and executives at Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest healthcare systems in the U.S. Kaiser’s 85,000 healthcare workers recently kicked-off a strike authorization vote over unfair labor practices, including Kaiser’s reported bad faith bargaining, which comes amidst workers’ simmering concerns over unsafe staffing levels. It would be the largest healthcare strike in U.S. history.

The events also emphasized the vital importance of labor unions in advocating for fair wages and better working conditions to support the well-being of all workers.