Thousands of Nurses and Health Care Professionals Set to Strike Against Kaiser Permanente Starting November 15

Thursday, United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals reported its members delivered a ten-day notice of a strike against Kaiser Permanente, covering 21,000 registered nurses, pharmacists, midwives, physical and occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and others throughout Southern California.

Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California regional headquarters is located in Pasadena.

The union said the last time UNAC/UHCP struck against Kaiser was 1980, before many of its current members were born. In 1995, members voted to authorize a strike but settled the contract prior to striking.

The 7,400 members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7600 in Southern California and 3,400 members of Oregon Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals (OFNHP) are committed to striking against Kaiser Permanente beginning the same day, according to UNAC/UHCP.

The strike would likely affect 366 facilities in Southern California, including hospitals and medical centers as well as hundreds of clinics, quick care clinics in Target stores, and medical office buildings from Bakersfield down to San Diego and Los Angeles out to the Inland Empire, the union said.

Registered nurses and health care professionals would be striking over Kaiser Permanente’s wage proposals.

The union characterizes Kaiser Permanente’s proposals as depressing wages for current employees and slashing wages for incoming workers at a time the country is experiencing a national health care staffing crisis.

“KP—sitting on billions of cash—has failed to address union proposals that would tackle pressing problems such as staffing shortages, racial justice, and equal health access,” a union statement said.

Late last week, Kaiser Permanente senior vice president of human resources Arlene Peasnall told Pasadena Now that Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance of Health Care Unions began national bargaining in April 2021.

“Although our national contract expired at the end of September, we have continued to meet with the Alliance and bargain in good faith,” Peasnall said. “We have made progress in many important areas and have extended an initial economic offer with wage increases and no takeaways to the current retirement plan or our excellent, market-leading benefits. The proposed wage increases are on top of the already market-leading pay and benefits our employees receive, as confirmed by independent wage surveys and the government’s own data compiled by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.”

“We believe in our partnership, we believe in our employees, we believe in our labor leaders. While we understand the bargaining tactics being used, we believe we will come together and find a mutually beneficial solution.”