Thousands strike Kaiser facilities in ongoing contract dispute

Tens of thousands of Kaiser healthcare workers went on strike in California on Monday, Jan. 26, including at the Kaiser Medical Center on Eureka Blvd. in Roseville. The strikers are demanding safer staffing, better pay and more respect for the care they provide. About 31,000 front-line registered nurses and healthcare professionals took part in the strike statewide, which was organized by members of United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP). The union consists of nurses, pharmacists, nurse anesthetists, midwives, physician assistants, rehab therapists, speech language pathologists, pathologists, dieticians and other specialty healthcare professionals. The event, described by participants as an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike, occurred simultaneously at Kaiser Permanente facilities in California and Hawaii. In Northern California, the strikes affected Oakland, Santa Clara and Roseville; in Central California, strikes occurred in Bakersfield and Lancaster. Numerous strikes also were staged at Kaiser facilities in the Los Angeles area and San Diego. The strike comes on the heels of seven months of unsuccessful negotiations between Kaiser and the union. In a statement, Kaiser officials said this has been the longest series of negotiations in national bargaining history in an effort to reach agreement on a new set of national and local contracts. The union alleges ongoing staff shortages are driving burnout and job turnover, which is resulting in patients facing delayed care, among other negative consequences. "We're not going on strike to make noise. We're striking because Kaiser has committed serious unfair labor practices and because Kaiser refuses to bargain in good faith over staffing that protects patients, workload standards that stop moral injury and the respect and dignity that Kaiser caregivers have been denied for far too long," said Charmaine S. Morales, RN, President of UNAC/UHCP. On Jan. 15, UNAC/UHCP officials released a report citing Kaiser has strayed from its founding mission and has prioritized profits, expansion and what they call Wall Street-style asset accumulation, which has negatively affected patient care and employee wellbeing. In response to the strikes, Kaiser officials released a statement declaring optimism that a finalized deal could soon be reached, a deal employees and their families can feel positive about. "These negotiations come at a time when healthcare costs are rising, and millions of Americans are at risk of losing access to health coverage. This underscores our responsibility to deliver fair, competitive pay for employees while protecting access and affordability for our members. We're doing both," said Lionel Sims, SVP Human Resources, Kaiser Permanente Northern California in a statement. "Our Alliance employees already earn, on average, about 16 percent more than similar roles at other healthcare organizations, and in some markets, they earn 24 percent more. Our current proposal builds on that, keeping Kaiser Permanente among the best-paying employers in healthcare," said Sims. "It includes the strongest compensation package in our national bargaining history: a 21.5-percent wage increase over the life of the contract, with 16 percent within the first two years. When step increases and local adjustments are factored in, the total average increase is approximately 30 percent — one of the strongest nursing contract offers in California this year." Sims also said despite the union's claims that patient concerns are driving the strike, the real motivation is simply wages. And in fact, Kaiser stated the strike is designed to disrupt the lives of patients. In response to Kaiser's claims of generosity at the bargaining table, union officials said Kaiser is not being accountable about the path it is currently on. "When Kaiser says it doesn't have resources to fix staffing, what we hear is that a nonprofit healthcare organization would rather protect an enormous financial cushion than protect patients and the people who care for them," said Morales. "UNAC/UHCP members have been bargaining with Kaiser since May 2025. In December, Kaiser management walked away from negotiations, stalling progress and attempting to bypass the agreed-upon national bargaining process. As a result, the union filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging Kaiser violated federal labor law by abandoning good-faith bargaining and undermining workers' protected rights." As the contract dispute lags along, Kaiser said in a statement patient care will continue, with their hospitals and almost all medical offices open despite the strike. In some cases, some appointments were shifted to virtual care or needed to be rescheduled, said Kaiser officials, but the facilities will continue to be staffed by doctors, trained staff and licensed contract employees.