Thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers across California go on strike calling for new contracts
Thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers across California and Hawaii went on strike on Monday, calling for fair wages and safer working conditions.
The United Nurses Associations of California /Union of Health Care Professions (UNAC/UHCP), which represents healthcare workers, said the strike comes after stalled negotiations with Kaiser in December 2025. The unions filed an unfair labor practice charge against Kaiser, alleging the company walked away from the bargaining table and accused them of trying to bypass the agreed-upon national bargaining process.
UNAC/UHCP said about 31,000 nurses and health care workers are expected to join the picket lines across California. The union said they plan to highlight "Kaiser's failure to invest in safe staffing levels, timely access to quality care, and fair wages for frontline caregivers."
"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.
A spokesperson for Kaiser said the company has been bargaining with UNAC/UHCP and the Alliance of Health Care Unions for more than 7 months, trying to reach an agreement on contracts.
"Our Alliance employees already earn, on average, about 16% more than similar roles at other health care organizations, and in some markets, they earn 24% more. Our current proposal builds on that, keeping Kaiser Permanente among the best-paying employers in health care," the spokesperson said. "It includes the strongest compensation package in our national bargaining history: a 21.5% wage increase over the life of the contract, with 16% within the first 2 years. When step increases and local adjustments are factored in, the total average increase is approximately 30% — one of the strongest nursing contract offers in California this year."
The Kaiser spokesperson called the strike "unnecessary when such a generous offer is on the table." The spokesperson added that the strike is designed to disrupt the lives of patients.
"Striking is the lawful power of working people, and we are prepared to use it on behalf of our profession and patients," Morales said.
The company said it has prepared contingency plans to ensure needs are met and services are still provided during the strike. Union leaders have said the strike will continue until an agreement is reached.
In Southern California, UNAC/UHCP represents nearly 27,000 health care workers.
Last fall, thousands of Kaiser employees participated in a five-day strike calling for better staffing, pay and patient care.
