To the editor: The present Kaiser strike will not be merely a labor dispute; it’s a matter of affected person security and human dignity (“Tens of hundreds of Kaiser Permanente healthcare staff launch open-ended strike,” Jan. 26). Healthcare staff are standing their floor as a result of no nurse or caregiver ought to ever be pressured to decide on which affected person receives care as a consequence of unsafe staffing ranges. That’s neither compassionate nor sustainable.
Whereas company leaders body the dispute as a wage problem, these on the entrance strains know the reality: Affected person care suffers when caregivers are stretched past their limits. A wage improve means little if circumstances stay unchanged or guarantees will not be secured in writing.
Telling nurses to “return to work” within the identify of defending sufferers ignores the truth that true affected person safety begins with supporting the individuals who look after them.
Affected person care and employee nicely‑being are inseparable. After we defend healthcare staff, we defend each affected person who depends upon them.
Rosalyn Kahn, Los Angeles
