Kaiser Permanente employees set to start largest healthcare strike in US history

Unionized employees of Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest not-for-profit health providers in the U.S., are walking off the job Wednesday morning in what is expected to be the largest strike of healthcare workers in U.S. history. 

Kaiser employees in Virginia and Washington, D.C., started the walkout early Wednesday, and by 9 a.m. ET, more than 75,000 employees of Kaiser, are expected to join a three-day walkout across six states and D.C., according to CNN.

A coalition of eight unions represents the striking employees, who comprise 40% of Kaiser's staff. 

The union coalition said that it has yet to receive an overall package that addresses its top issues, but some tentative agreements have been reached, such as a 40% increase to the employees' education fund which will help union members receive training needed for promotions.

Most of the striking workers are located in the western U.S., including California, Colorado, Washington and Oregon. 

The union coalition is demanding wage increases and for more employees to be hired.

The strike is one of several large recent ones across multiple industries, as the United Automobile Workers union continues its strike and the monthslong writers strike ended last month.

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