Yet another group of crucial workers is just days away from a nationwide walkout.

More than 75,000 workers at one of the nation's largest health care providers, Kaiser Permanente, could go on strike next Wednesday if there's no agreement between their unions and their employer. A final round of in-person negotiations is scheduled to start on Friday, before the current contract expires on Saturday.

The three-day strike would hit hospitals, clinics and medical offices from California and Colorado to Washington D.C. Tens of thousands of workers — including nurses, lab technicians, pharmacists and therapists — would walk off the job.

Kaiser serves nearly 13 million patients across the U.S. A coalition of 12 unions has been in talks with the organization since April to iron out a new contract for its members. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions says it's still far apart from Kaiser on key issues such as pay raises and job protections.

If workers walk off the job, it would be what their unions describe as the biggest healthcare strike in U.S. history. Like striking workers in many other industries, they, too are demanding higher pay and better benefits....