31,000 Kaiser workers begin open-ended strike over staffing

31,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers began an open-ended strike on Jan. 26, 2026, at 7 a.m. Pacific time. This is an unfair labor practice strike, which means workers allege Kaiser violated federal labor law. The strike has no set end date. Workers will stay out until they reach an agreement or the union calls them back.

The striking workers hold diverse healthcare roles. They include registered nurses, pharmacists, nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, rehabilitation therapists, speech pathologists, and dietitians. All are represented by the Union of American Physicians and Allied Workers (UNAC/UHCP). This is one of the largest healthcare strikes in 🌴California history by worker count.

The strike affects more than 20 hospitals and 200 clinics across 🌴California and 🌺Hawaii. Kaiser Permanente serves one in four California residents. That's about 9.5 million people who get their healthcare through Kaiser in California. The strike disrupts care for millions of patients who rely on Kaiser facilities for routine and emergency services.

The current contract expired on Sept. 30, 2025. Workers and Kaiser have been negotiating since May 2025. They conducted a five-day strike in Oct. 2025 to pressure Kaiser during negotiations. Talks stalled in Dec. 2025 when Kaiser walked away from the bargaining table. The union filed an NLRB unfair labor practice charge alleging Kaiser abandoned negotiations and bypassed the national bargaining structure.

Workers demand 25% raises over four years. Kaiser offered 21.5% raises over the life of the contract, with 16% in the first two years. The gap between the two positions is 3.5 percentage points on total compensation. Workers also demand enforceable safe staffing ratios and limits on mandatory overtime. Kaiser hasn't agreed to binding staffing commitments.

Kaiser wants to shift from national to local bargaining. Currently, UNAC/UHCP negotiates one master contract covering workers across 🌴California and 🌺Hawaii. Kaiser wants separate negotiations with local union chapters at individual facilities. The union says this would weaken workers' bargaining power by dividing them into smaller units that can't leverage system-wide pressure.

The union released a report titled 'Profits Over Patients' showing Kaiser generated $7.9 billion in net income in the first three quarters of 2025. The report documents Kaiser investing in facility expansion and executive compensation while claiming it can't afford staffing increases. Kaiser reported $88.7 billion in total operating revenue in 2024.

Kaiser says its workers already earn 16% more than similar roles in the region. In some markets, Kaiser workers earn 24% more than comparable positions. Kaiser argues its compensation is competitive and that workers are rejecting reasonable offers. The company says the union hasn't shown 'material movement on key economic issues for months.'