To the editor: The present Kaiser strike shouldn’t 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 compelled to decide on which affected person receives care because of unsafe staffing ranges. That’s neither compassionate nor sustainable.
Whereas company leaders body the dispute as a wage situation, these on the entrance traces know the reality: Affected person care suffers when caregivers are stretched past their limits. A wage enhance means little if circumstances stay unchanged or guarantees should not secured in writing.
Telling nurses to “return to work” within the title of defending sufferers ignores the fact that true affected person safety begins with supporting the individuals who look after them.
Affected person care and employee effectively‑being are inseparable. After we defend healthcare staff, we defend each affected person who is determined by them.
Rosalyn Kahn, Los Angeles
