The local chapter of the Service Employees International Union, SEIU Local 49, is planning a series of three picket rallies amid an ongoing contract dispute with health care company Kaiser Permanente.
A rally is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday outside the Kaiser Cascade Park Medical Office, 12607 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., according to a Facebook event. The two subsequent rallies will be at Kaiser facilities Aug. 8 in Portland and Aug. 21 in Hillsboro, Ore.
The rallies will serve as venues for strike authorization votes; additional strike vote meetings are scheduled throughout the area during the next month. The local chapter posted a full list of strike vote locations and schedules on the website seiu49bargaining.org.
SEIU Local 49 represents approximately 15,000 health care, janitorial security and laundry workers in Oregon and Southwest Washington, about 4,500 of whom are Kaiser employees. The chapter is part of a coalition of SEIU chapters — representing approximately 85,000 Kaiser employees — that are collectively threatening to strike later this year. SEIU Local 49 is seeking a new contract that includes yearly raises and protection from job losses due to outsourcing and automation.
