More than 31,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers remain on strike as their walkout enters its fourth week, causing significant disruptions to patient care across California and Hawaii.
The strike, which began on January 26, marks the first time members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals have walked off the job. The union represents nurses, physical therapists, midwives, and other healthcare professionals who are demanding better pay and improved staffing conditions.
Workers are seeking a 25% wage increase over four years, while Kaiser has proposed a 21.5% increase. Union leaders argue their request accounts for inflation that peaked around 8% in 2022, according to CalMatters.
“What we’re asking for is the same deal. Everybody else got to deal with inflation,” said Joe Guzynski, executive director for the union. “It’s really about restoring fairness.”
Kaiser contends its employees are already the highest paid among healthcare organizations. In a statement, the company said: “This underscores our responsibility to deliver fair, competitive pay for employees while protecting access and affordability for our members. We’re doing both.”
The healthcare giant maintains it can afford its proposed wage increase without raising member premiums but cannot make the same guarantee under the union’s proposal. While union leaders point to Kaiser’s $66 billion in reserves as evidence the company can afford higher wages, Kaiser argues using reserves for payroll would be “financially irresponsible.”
Patients have reported canceled chemotherapy treatments, surgeries, and other procedures. Social media posts show pharmacy and laboratory lines extending down hallways and out doors. Some unionized nurses have reported receiving recruitment texts from contractors seeking to fill their positions during the strike.
The strike also affects three groups of Northern California employees who recently formed unions and are bargaining for their first contracts: certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and physician assistants. According to Brian Mason, lead negotiator for nurse midwives, Kaiser has proposed cutting retirement and medical benefits for these groups, freezing wages for current employees, and reducing wages for new hires.
Emily Hardy, a certified nurse midwife at Redwood City Medical Center, said walking off the job was a “last resort” after two years of negotiations. “It has felt very painful because you operated for so long under the assumption that your employer really valued your services,” she said.
Kaiser is California’s largest health provider, serving more than 9 million patients, and the state’s largest private employer. The company said it had been “preparing contingency plans” for months to maintain access to care during the strike.
Bargaining teams for Kaiser and workers have resumed negotiations after weeks of stalemate, but no agreement appears imminent.
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