Thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers in the DMV authorize strike

Thousands of healthcare workers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. have voted to authorize a strike if an agreement cannot be reached between their union and Kaiser Permanente by Sept. 30.

In a statement on their website, the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 2 said that 98% of their members voted to strike “if Kaiser Permanente does not come to the bargaining table to properly address our priorities — including staffing, patient care, and a consistent national wage increase to reward and retain our healthcare workers.”

Other unions around the country, representing over 80,000 Kaiser workers throughout California, Oregon, Washington state and Colorado, have also authorized strikes.

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions said this would be the largest strike by health care workers in U.S. history.

The Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States Headquarters is at 2101 E Jefferson St in Rockville.

[Washington Post]

Montgomery County school honored as National Blue Ribbon School 

Stone Mill Elementary School at 14323 Stonebridge View Drive in North Potomac was honored as a National Blue Ribbon School.

The U.S. Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Schools (NBRS) Program is in its 40^th year. The program honors outstanding public and private elementary, middle and high schools for their high level of academic achievement or success in closing the achievement gap.

Five other Maryland schools received this honor as well:

Church Hill Elementary School in Queen Anne’s County
Matapeake Elementary School in Queen Anne’s County
Northeast Elementary School in Allegany County
Oakdale High School in Frederick County
Smithsburg Middle School in Washington County

[The MoCo Show]

National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations commence in MoCo

National Hispanic Heritage Month spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and there are events in Silver Spring and Wheaton to celebrate.

The American Film Institute Latin American Film Festival will show Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese films from Sept. 21 through Oct. 11 at the Concert Pavilion in Silver Spring. Admission is free and moviegoers are allowed to bring food and chairs.

On Sept. 22, the Concert Pavilion will screen Vivo, an animated film illustrating how music connects people.

Also, Westfield Wheaton mall will host its third annual National Hispanic Heritage Month event Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. featuring singers, folklore dance troupes and celebrities such as Tia Maria and Stefani Gamboa.

[Montgomery Community Media]

Today’s weather:

Mostly sunny with a high of 78 degrees.