(Portland, OR) -- Thousands of healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Oregon and Southwest Washington continue their strike today. Picketing began yesterday morning at hospitals in five states where about 75-thousand healthcare workers are demanding better wages and more staffing. The unions representing the workers say understaffing at the hospitals is boosting their profits but hurting patients and causing employee burnout. The workers are also calling for a 25-dollar-an-hour minimum wage. The strike has been approved for three days in Washington, Oregon, California, and Colorado, and one day in Virginia.