The pandemic is increasing labor tensions with healthcare workers, leading to disputes around what health systems are doing to keep front-line staff safe, according to an article on the Healthcare Dive website.
The main concerns are adequate staffing and PPE. Contract negotiations may boost worker leverage on the issues.
At Prime Healthcare's Encino Hospital Medical Center, just outside Los Angeles, medical staff voted to unionize July 5, a week after the hospital laid off about half of its staff.
But many health systems are themselves stressed financially after months of delayed elective procedures and smaller patient volumes.