San Francisco UNAC/UHCP Members Prepare to Walk Out as Strike Escalates

UNAC/UHCP, the union representing many Kaiser clinicians, said its unfair labor practice strike had reached Day 11 and documented picket activity across the state, accusing Kaiser management of bad-faith bargaining and non-responsiveness. The union’s materials included the line: “UNAC/UHCP, the union representing many Kaiser clinicians, described Day 11 of its unfair labor practice strike, documenting picket activity across the state and accusing Kaiser management of bad-faith bargaining and non-responsiveness to local bargai”

Los Angeles Magazine reported a new wave of strikers is expected to pull more than 3,000 workers from Kaiser offices to the streets. The Lamag excerpt reads in full: “The new wave of strikers is expected to pull more than 3,000 workers from Kaiser offices to the streets. Kaiser has remained open amid staffing”

The union’s public page framed the dispute as stalled negotiations, saying caregivers “have been stalled for more than a month after Kaiser management walked away from the national bargaining table and”, a line the union posted that trails off in the excerpt provided to reporters. Those claims directly conflict with Kaiser Permanente’s public stance: a January 16, 2026 statement posted on Kaiser’s media pages says, in part, “Despite a way forward in bargaining offered by Kaiser Permanente, union…” The remainder of that sentence was not included in the material supplied to this newsroom.

For San Francisco County residents, the most immediate question is whether appointments, specialty care or clinic hours will be disrupted. Union documents show picket activity statewide, and media reporting anticipates a substantial new wave of strikers, but neither the union excerpts nor the employer statement in the materials provided include granular counts of closures, canceled appointments, or which specific San Francisco sites would be affected. Kaiser has been reported to have stayed open even as staffing conditions shift, but the supplied text stops at “Kaiser has remained open amid staffing” and does not elaborate on the scale or management steps taken.

The dispute centers on bargaining process and responsibility for the stall. UNAC/UHCP accuses Kaiser of walking away from national bargaining and failing to engage locally; Kaiser’s public message asserts it tried to offer a path forward. Both claims are explicitly present in the documents available to this newsroom, but key sentences in both union and employer excerpts were truncated and require clarification for a complete account.

What happens next will matter for patients and caregivers alike. UNAC/UHCP is preparing further action and media reporting puts the potential number of new strikers in the thousands; Kaiser’s January 16 statement signals the employer contests the union’s characterization of bargaining. San Franciscans should expect ongoing disruption risk at Kaiser facilities and watch official Kaiser and UNAC/UHCP updates for confirmed lists of affected clinics, rescheduled appointments and contingency plans.