Approximately 31,000 registered nurses and healthcare professionals today began an “open-ended” strike at Kaiser Permanente's facilities in California and Hawaii.
"Kaiser management unlawfully undermined contract negotiations and attempted to intimidate workers exercising their legal right to strike," the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) said in a statement.
The strike affects more than two dozen hospitals – including San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland – and hundreds of clinics. In a strike statement, the association said its union members will continue the strike until the state’s largest health care provider reaches an agreement on a new labor contract.
Kaiser Permanente on Monday countered that it has been bargaining with UNAC/UHCP and the Alliance of Health Care Unions for more than seven months, and said the union has agreed to return to "local bargaining".
"Unfortunately, despite the recent agreement to return to local bargaining, UNAC/UHCP intends an open-ended strike beginning at 7am on Jan. 26 at some of our California and Hawaii facilities," the company said.
Kaiser said that not all of the unions currently in negotiations will be taking part in the strike.
The health care system provided no information today about the strike’s impact on its health services.
The union said Kaiser's management walked away from talks in December, leading it to file a charge against the company for alleged unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board.
Nurses with the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) delivered a strike notice Jan.15.
The union didn’t specify a date for the end of the walkout, indicating the strike will continue until they have a deal.
The nurses union cites safe staffing levels at the top of its list of concerns. Union leaders say staffing shortages are leaving nurses with too much work, and that inadequate staffing is posing risks to patient care and driving nurse burnout.
The union is also looking for better compensation. Nurses say Kaiser’s offer isn’t keeping pace with higher costs for housing, food and healthcare. The union is also seeking retirement benefits.
Charmaine S. Morales, RN, president of UNAC/UHCP, said in a statement that nurses aren’t walking out “to make noise.”
“We’re authorizing a strike to win staffing that protects patients, win workload standards that stop moral injury, and win the respect and dignity Kaiser has denied for far too long,” Morales said.
Kaiser said the healthcare system is offering the “strongest compensation package in our national bargaining history.”
Kaiser Permanente says it is offering a 21.5% pay increase over the entire contract, including a 16% hike within the first two years of the deal. Kaiser Permanente says other provisions, such as step increases and other adjustments, raise the total increase to about 30%, at a total cost of approximately $2 billion.
Greg Holmes, Kaiser Permanente’s executive vice president and chief human resources officer, said national union leaders have impeded progress, which led the system to pause national bargaining. Morales Kaiser Permanente needs to get back to negotiating.
“Kaiser can end this whenever they choose by coming back to the table and bargaining in good faith,” Morales said. “Until they do, we are done waiting. Striking is the lawful power of working people, and we are prepared to use it on behalf of our profession and patients.”
