Oakland, California Nurses Launch Open-Ended Strike for Better Wages and Staffing

An estimated 31,000 registered nurses and other front-line Kaiser Permanente health care workers have initiated an open-ended strike in California and Hawaii to demand improved wages and staffing from the health care giant.

The picketing, which began on Monday, signifies the second major walkout in recent months by employees represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. A previous five-day strike in October concluded with negotiations resuming, but talks fell apart in December.

This week, the union accused Kaiser of refusing to return to national bargaining discussions.

“We will continue to push Kaiser 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,” the union bargaining committee stated.

Kaiser stated on Sunday that the union had agreed to return to local bargaining, even as workers proceeded with the strike. The company mentioned that it paused national bargaining last month after a threatening incident involving a union official.

“Illegal threats are a line that cannot be crossed,” Greg Holmes, Kaiser’s chief human resources officer, remarked. “This union official’s actions have compromised the national bargaining process and undermined both parties’ ability to continue good-faith bargaining.”

Those participating in the strike, including pharmacists, midwives, and rehab therapists, argue that wages have not kept up with inflation and there is insufficient staffing to meet patient demand.

They are requesting a 25% wage increase over four years to compensate for wages they claim are at least 7% behind their peers.

Kaiser Permanente proposed a 21.5% increase over four years in response. The company asserts that its represented employees earn, on average, 16% more than their peers, and meeting the strikers’ pay demand would necessitate charging customers more.

Arezou Mansourian, a physician assistant on the bargaining team, informed the San Francisco Chronicle that Kaiser has struggled to retain and recruit providers, impacting patient care. Medical staff have been departing Kaiser for better-paying positions at other local hospitals.

She emphasized that the union’s fight for better working conditions will ultimately benefit patients as well.

“We know it’s a pain right now, but it’s so that we can take care of you better in the future,” Mansourian remarked to the Chronicle.

During the strike, health clinics and hospitals will remain operational, with some in-person appointments transitioning to virtual appointments, and certain elective surgeries and procedures being rescheduled.

Kaiser Permanente, based in Oakland, California, is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health plans, serving 12.6 million members at 600 medical offices and 40 hospitals primarily in western U.S. states.

In a separate development, about 15,000 nurses in New York City who recently went on strike have returned to the bargaining table. The New York State Nurses Association stated that contract negotiations have recommenced with officials at the three private hospital systems impacted by the strike: Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and New York-Presbyterian.