31,000 Kaiser caregivers announce open-ended strike across California, Hawaii

Approximately 31,000 frontline clinicians at Kaiser Permanente represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals delivered a 10-day notice on Jan. 15 announcing an open-ended unfair labor practice strike set to begin Monday, Jan. 26. The union says picket lines will appear at nearly 20 hospitals and roughly 200 clinics across California and Hawaii, from Los Angeles and San Diego to Oakland and Honolulu.

UNAC/UHCP’s membership includes registered nurses and a wide range of allied health professionals, pharmacists, nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, midwives, physician assistants, rehabilitation therapists, and other specialists who staff hospitals and outpatient clinics. The union is part of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, which negotiates a national contract covering 23 local unions from Hawaii to Washington, D.C.

The union framed the action as centered on patient safety and workplace conditions. It cited chronic understaffing and delayed access to care, and called for enforceable workload standards intended to prevent what clinicians describe as moral injury. The union also seeks pension coverage for those without it, wage increases and other changes it says would improve retention and protect patients.

“We’re not going on strike 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,” UNAC/UHCP President Charmaine Morales said in the union release.

The contract between UNAC/UHCP and Kaiser expired Sept. 30, 2025, and bargaining has been under way since May 2025. Members staged a five-day work stoppage in October after the contract expired; talks resumed but the union says negotiations stalled. Mediated bargaining reportedly collapsed in December after Kaiser alleged a union official threatened to release damaging information to force a deal. The union named the official Guzynski and denied the accusation, filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that Kaiser used the allegation to pause bargaining and attempt to bypass the agreed national process.

Both sides face competing legal and public relations battles as the strike approaches. The union described the Jan. 26 action specifically as an Unfair Labor Practice strike. UNAC/UHCP has launched an information webpage and began strike training sessions for members on Jan. 19 to prepare staff for picketing and plans for work actions.

Wage proposals remain a central sticking point. Negotiations have included figures presented by negotiators: Kaiser had offered a 21.5 percent wage increase over four years, while the union has sought a 25 percent increase over the same period, along with stronger staffing ratio language and benefits protections.

Public health experts and hospital administrators will be watching for immediate effects on access to care, especially in communities where Kaiser is a dominant provider. An open-ended walkout by thousands of clinicians across dozens of facilities risks appointment cancellations, longer emergency department waits and increased pressure on other regional providers. The union has also pointed to a report released the same day criticizing Kaiser’s financial position, arguing the system holds billions in reserves and is prioritizing expansion rather than frontline staffing, a charge that raises broader questions about nonprofit health care priorities and accountability.

As the Jan. 26 start date approaches, the dispute underscores tensions over labor rights, patient safety and how large nonprofit health systems allocate resources in an era of strained staffing and rising demand for care.