Thousands of Colorado Kaiser Permanente workers continued their protest for a second day on Thursday.
As of Thursday afternoon, Kaiser and the union had not reached a contract settlement. However, in a statement the company said it has been able to reach a "number of tentative agreements in bargaining."
In that same statement, Kaiser said its offers to date address the union's priorities, which include wage increases across the board in all markets over the next four years, offering minimum wages of $21 an hour in Colorado, continuing enhancing employee health benefits and retirement plans, and renewing the tuition assistance program and funding education trusts.
An estimated 75,000 employees joined picket lines across the country Wednesday, and the same numbers were anticipated to turn out Thursday.
Scripps News
US' largest health care strike continues for second day
The vice president of the Health Care Division for the Service Employees International Union, Patricia Johnson-Gibson, told Denver7 why staff are walking off the job this week.
"We want to talk about the staffing, the patient care. And then of course, the end, you knows we talk about wages. But the important part is is just getting the staffing. We're so short staffed. We have people doing endless hours of overtime, in order to help support this organization," Johnson-Gibson said.
Despite those tentative agreements being reached, employees are expected to continue striking both Thursday and Friday.
