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Thousands of Kaiser Permanente nurses and frontline health care workers launched an open-ended strike this week across California and Hawaii, continuing a dispute centered on wages, staffing, and bargaining practices.
An estimated 31,000 employees represented by the United Nurses Associations of California and the Union of Health Care Professionals joined picket lines starting Monday.
The walkout follows a five-day strike in October that ended with negotiations restarting. Talks later broke down in December, leading to the latest action. Union leaders said Kaiser has refused to resume national bargaining discussions, prompting members to escalate pressure.
Union alleges unfair labor practices
In a statement, the union’s bargaining committee said it would continue pushing the organization “to stop their egregious unfair labor practices against the frontline workers who deliver the best care for their patients and billions in profit to do the right thing, and come back to the table to bargain in good faith.”
Kaiser said that the union had agreed to return to local bargaining, even as workers prepared to strike. The company said it paused national bargaining last month following what it described as a threatening incident involving a union official.
“Illegal threats are a line that cannot be crossed,” Greg Holmes, Kaiser’s Chief Human Resources Officer, said in a statement. “This union official’s actions have compromised the national bargaining process and undermined both parties’ ability to continue good-faith bargaining.”
Pay, staffing, and inflation pressures
Striking workers include registered nurses, pharmacists, midwives, and rehabilitation therapists. They argue that wages have failed to keep pace with inflation and that staffing levels are insufficient to meet patient demand. The union is seeking a 25% wage increase over four years, saying current pay is at least 7% behind comparable roles.
Kaiser has countered with a proposed 21.5% increase over four years. The organization said represented employees earn an average of 16% more than peers and warned that meeting the union’s demand would require higher charges for customers.
Arezou Mansourian, a Physician Assistant on the bargaining team, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Kaiser has struggled to recruit and retain providers, affecting patient care. She said clinicians have left for higher-paying roles at other hospitals.
“We know it’s a pain right now, but it’s so that we can take care of you better in the future,” Mansourian told the newspaper.
Kaiser said hospitals and clinics will remain open during the strike, with some appointments moved to virtual care and certain elective procedures rescheduled. The not-for-profit health system serves 12.6 million members through 600 medical offices and 40 hospitals, primarily in western US states.
