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4h ago

Kaiser Permanente Clinicians Launch Five-Day Strike in California and Hawaii

Contract talks remain unresolved over pay versus staffing priorities, with Kaiser deploying contingency staff to keep care running.

Kaiser Permanente in Oakland.  On Monday, the company called a planned five-day strike “unnecessary and disruptive” as tens of thousands of nurses and health workers prepare to walk out.
Health care workers demonstrate outside Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center on Geary Boulevard on October 4, 2023 in San Francisco.  On Monday, the company called a planned five-day strike “unnecessary and disruptive” as tens of thousands of nurses and health workers prepare to walk out.
Mental health care workers icket outside of the Kaiser Permanente facility in Oakland on Aug. 16, 2022 over workload issues. On Monday, Kaiser Permanente called a planned five-day strike “unnecessary and disruptive” as tens of thousands of nurses and health workers prepare to walk out.
Kaiser workers strike at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (File photo: Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Overview

  • About 31,000 UNAC/UHCP members walked off the job at 7 a.m. Oct. 14 for a strike scheduled to end at 7 a.m. Oct. 19.
  • Kaiser says hospitals and most medical offices remain open, with some non-urgent appointments and elective procedures rescheduled or moved to virtual care.
  • The health system is bringing in up to 7,600 temporary clinicians and reassigning more than 1,000 employees to sustain operations during the walkout.
  • The union seeks about a 25% raise over four years, while Kaiser offers 21.5% and notes Alliance-represented workers earn on average 16% above market.
  • Union leaders cite staffing and patient safety concerns and argue Kaiser’s large reserves and expansion investments show capacity to pay more, with participation potentially expanding if allied unions join.