31,000 Kaiser Workers Strike Indefinitely in CA, HI

Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente nurses and health care professionals walked off the job Monday in an indefinite strike across California and Hawaii, marking the second major work stoppage in three months as contract negotiations remain deadlocked.

The action involves approximately 31,000 members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), including registered nurses, nurse anesthetists, therapists, pharmacists, and other specialists. Picketing began at 7 a.m. at more than two dozen hospitals and 200 clinics, stretching from Los Angeles and San Diego in the south to Oakland and Santa Clara in the north, and extending to facilities in Honolulu. Union leaders described the open-ended strike as a response to Kaiser's alleged unfair labor practices and refusal to address staffing shortages and fair wages, vowing to continue until an agreement is reached.

At the heart of the dispute are demands for improved patient care standards and compensation. The union initially sought a 38 percent wage increase over four years but has since lowered its ask to 25 percent, alongside commitments to safer nurse-to-patient ratios and hiring...