Kaiser Permanente Pharmacist Strike Postponed Following Last-Minute Negotiations

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Kaiser Permanente pharmacists decided Monday to delay a strike following last-minute negotiations with the hospital group.

"In the interest of patient safety, we decided to come back to work," Dr. Kevin Landa said.

The strike was postponed until June 2 after early morning talks between the two groups. If no agreement is made by then, 1,400 workers could walk off the job.

Pharmacists claim patient safety is at risk because they are forced to fill prescriptions so quickly.

"We want to make sure we have enough time to connect with our patients to screen for drug interactions, to do more than put pills in a bottle," Dr. Landa added.

They also say Kaiser refuses to reinstate pensions they lost three years ago.

Kaiser warned patients over the weekend of the impending strike and arranged for prescriptions to be filled at other pharmacies like Target, CVS and grocery stores.

The company released the following statement Monday morning:

"All Kaiser Permanente members can continue having their prescription needs met at their local Kaiser Permanente pharmacy. And, as always, they can also order over the phone and on-line at www.KP.org.  For further information members can go to www.KP.org."