Kaiser strike ends without labor agreement for 31,000 healthcare workers

As many as 31,000 union nurses and healthcare professionals ended their five-day strike against Kaiser Permanente in the Western U.S. without a labor agreement early Sunday, Oct. 19.

While no talks took place during the walkout, Kaiser officials and leaders from a coalition of labor organizations confirmed that negotiations are scheduled to restart Oct. 22-23.

One union official from the steelworkers’ union of 8,600 vocational nurses and medical assistants in Fontana said that talks are scheduled again Oct. 28-29 if the negotiations don’t yield progress this week.

Kaiser labor contracts expired Sept. 30 or Oct. 1, with several local unions giving 10-day strike notices. Their action set in motion the five-day strike beginning Oct. 14, with thousands walking the picket lines daily at Kaiser’s medical facilities in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii.

“The focus will be on economic issues. While the alliance has publicly emphasized staffing and other concerns, wages are the reason for the strike and the primary issue in negotiations,” said Kaiser spokesman Terry Kanakri. “Kaiser Permanente is resuming normal operations (Oct. 22-23) with a focus on the continued delivery of high-quality, affordable care to our members and communities.”

Kanakri also said that, at a time when the cost of health care continues to rise steeply, and millions of Americans are having to make the difficult choice to go without coverage, Kaiser is attempting to keep healthcare coverage accessible and affordable, “while attracting and retaining top talent” and keeping the healthcare organization a “great place to work and receive care.”

Charmaine Morales, president of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals, said that her union welcome’s Kaiser back to the table to talk about patient care and “unsafe staffing” levels.

“We stood strong for five days and made sure the world heard us,” Morales said. “This strike wasn’t just about numbers on a contract — it was about the right to provide safe care to every patient who walks through those doors.”

The strike, the largest ever for Kaiser unions, began less than a week ago, with the healthcare giant flying in thousands of replacement staff from around the country to fill critical patient care jobs. Pay for those temporary workers ranged from $78-$130 an hour based on the job requirements, according to interviews with healthcare professionals who say they were retained by AMN Healthcare Services Inc., a Dallas-based temporary strike staffing company.

The nurses and healthcare professionals on strike also included 4,000 workers represented by the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals at Kaiser facilities in Oregon and Washington, and the United Pharmacists of Southern California, which led to the closure of some Kaiser pharmacies, according to Kaiser’s website.

Local 7600 of the United Steelworkers Union in Fontana was also involved with the alliance, representing more than 8,600 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers. Those workers walked off their jobs at the same time as the nurses and healthcare professionals. The steelworkers represent licensed vocational nurses, medical assistants, engineers, pharmacy staff and lab staff, clerical, dietary and environmental services workers, technical staff, and other frontline professionals.

While not striking this past week, Locals 324 and 770, both of which represent about 2,200 Kaiser pharmacy assistants, technicians, clinical lab scientists, medical lab technicians and clinical and administrative healthcare workers in Southern California, voted Oct. 15 to authorize a strike, citing unfair labor practices.

No date has been set for a strike, which would affect dozens of pharmacies, Gerard Maderazo, who sits on the bargaining committee for Local 770, told the Southern California News Group. He said that Kaiser would be forced to temporarily shutter most pharmacies if a “second wave” of protests involving its pharmacists and technicians moves forward.

Brent Beltran, a spokesman for UFCW Local 135, said that his union of 350 workers in San Diego County also voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against Kaiser, which could lead to a 10-day notice of a strike after his union’s contract expires Oct. 31.

Kaiser and the UNAC/UHCP are negotiating to replace a five-year contract that expired Sept. 30. The union is striking for higher wages and benefits and hiring more employees to fill staffing shortages. It initially sought a 38% pay hike over four years and is now seeking a 25% raise. Kaiser has offered a 21.5%.

As of June 30, 2025, Kaiser’s footprint, which covers the western states where strikes just wrapped up, also includes Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Nationwide, Kaiser has 608 medical offices and 40 hospitals.

In Southern California, where Kaiser operates its regional headquarters in Pasadena, the healthcare provider oversees 16 hospitals, 199 medical offices, and employs nearly 91,200 people with 4.9 million members. Northern California has nearly 91,600 employees at 21 hospitals and 201 medical offices serving 4.6 million members.