Dozens of healthcare workers took to the sidewalk in front of Kaiser Permanente in Longview yesterday for the first day of their planned five-day strike.

The nurses in Longview are joining thousands of other healthcare workers across Oregon and Southwest Washington who are part of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals union.

Jeremy Gardner, chair of the professional bargaining unit, said the strike is about employees having a voice in patient care.

During the strike, members carried picket signs with slogans such as “Community Health Over Corporate Wealth” and “Honk if You Support Healthcare Workers.” Strikers marched up and down the sidewalk chanting, “Hey there, Kaiser, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side,” and “1, 2, 3, 4, we can’t take it anymore… 5, 6, 7, 8, come on Greg, negotiate.” Gregory Adams is the CEO of Kaiser Permanente.