Kaiser Strike Expands: Pharmacy and Lab Workers Set to Join Nurses in Walkout
- 31,000 Kaiser nurses and health care professionals across California and Hawaii remain on strike in an ongoing unfair labor practice walkout.
- The strike is expected to expand beginning Monday, February 9, as pharmacy and laboratory workers represented by UFCW locals prepare to join in their own unfair labor practice walkouts.
- Safe staffing, wages, benefits, and stalled negotiations remain central issues, with union leaders accusing Kaiser of refusing to bargain in good faith and engaging in labor law violations.
Approximately 31,000 nurses and healthcare workers remain off the job at Kaiser Permanente facilities across California and Hawaii, continuing what union leaders describe as an open-ended unfair labor practice strike.
Now, the labor action is set to grow even larger.
According to a new press release from the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), pharmacy and laboratory workers represented by UFCW locals are expected to join the strike beginning Monday, February 9, expanding what has already become one of the largest healthcare strikes in the nation.
The strike impacts care at dozens of Kaiser hospitals and hundreds of clinics, with picket lines continuing across both California and Hawaii.
Who Is Involved
UNAC/UHCP represents a wide range of licensed and specialized health care professionals, including:
- Registered nurses
- Nurse practitioners
- Nurse anesthetists
- Midwives
- Physician assistants
- Rehab therapists
- Dietitians
- Pharmacists
- Other frontline health professionals
The union is part of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, a coalition that negotiates a national contract on behalf of 23 local unions covering Kaiser facilities across the U.S.
In addition to UNAC/UHCP members already striking, the union says pharmacy and laboratory workers represented by UFCW locals are preparing to join in separate walkouts, further increasing pressure on Kaiser management.
Why the Strike Is Escalating
The strike follows continued contract negotiations that, according to union leaders, have been stalled for more than a month.
UNAC/UHCP claims Kaiser walked away from the national bargaining table and replaced negotiations with what it describes as misleading communications.
“Kaiser has ghosted us,” said Geraldine Dornio, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) at Kaiser Moanalua and member of UNAC/UHCP’s CRNA bargaining team.
Union representatives also argue that Kaiser has emphasized a proposed 21.5% national wage offer, while downplaying what they describe as major proposed cuts to retirement and health benefits.
Staffing and Retention Remain a Major Concern
Frontline workers say Kaiser’s refusal to address staffing, scheduling, and retention is worsening care delays and pushing experienced clinicians out of the system.
“Despite what they may say publicly, Kaiser has not reached out to us to bargain,” said Stacy Eldridge, MS, a registered dietitian at Kaiser in Bakersfield and a member of the UNAC/UHCP bargaining team. She added that she is concerned about how long patients are waiting for care.
UNAC/UHCP also points to Kaiser’s financial reserves, arguing that the system has the resources to improve staffing and working conditions.
Why a Strike Now?
The strike follows the release of a new UNAC/UHCP report examining Kaiser Permanente’s financial practices. According to the union, the report highlights billions of dollars in financial reserves and investments at Kaiser, while frontline workers and patients continue to experience chronic understaffing and delayed access to care.
Union leaders argue that Kaiser, which operates as a tax-favored nonprofit, has continued to pursue expansion projects nationwide while claiming it cannot afford staffing improvements or wage increases at existing facilities.
Contract negotiations between UNAC/UHCP and Kaiser expired on September 30. The two sides previously experienced a five-day work stoppage in October 2025. Since then, negotiations have reportedly stalled, with no bargaining sessions held for over a month.
In December, UNAC/UHCP filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging Kaiser attempted to bypass the agreed-upon national bargaining process and interfered with good-faith negotiations that had been ongoing since May 2025.
Legal Requirements and Patient Care
Under federal law, health care unions must provide at least 10 days’ notice before initiating a strike. This requirement is intended to allow hospitals time to prepare and maintain continuity of patient care.
Union leaders say the notice is both a legal obligation and an opportunity for Kaiser to return to the bargaining table before a strike begins.
Core Issues Cited by the Union
UNAC/UHCP has identified several key issues driving the strike authorization:
- Safe staffing: Workers report that ongoing shortages and increasing workloads are contributing to care delays, increased risk of errors, and widespread burnout across clinical roles.
- Wages and economic security: The union says Kaiser’s wage proposals do not keep pace with rising costs of housing, food, and health care, contributing to retention challenges.
- Retirement security: Many health care professionals represented by the union do not have pensions, raising concerns about long-term financial stability after physically demanding careers.
- Bargaining process concerns: UNAC/UHCP alleges Kaiser has used disputes over union communications to halt negotiations and apply pressure outside the agreed-upon bargaining structure.
What Union Leaders Are Saying
“We’re not going on strike to make noise,” said Charmaine S. Morales, RN, President of UNAC/UHCP. “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 added that the union believes the situation could be resolved if Kaiser returns to the negotiating table. “Kaiser can end this whenever they choose by coming back to the table and bargaining in good faith,” she said.
What Happens Next
According to UNAC/UHCP, the strike will continue until an agreement is reached.
The union is also encouraging media interviews with nurses and healthcare workers on the picket lines.
With additional pharmacy and laboratory workers expected to join beginning February 9, the strike could intensify and create broader operational impacts across Kaiser facilities.
For nurses and healthcare professionals watching closely, the situation highlights growing national tensions around safe staffing, retention, and the role of labor action in healthcare systems.
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