"Their main grievances are chronic understaffing, rising workloads and concerns that Kaiser's wage and contract proposals fail to address cost-of-living pressures. The workers going on strike are represented mainly by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP). Their strike will affect 20 hospitals and 200 clinics across California and Hawaii. Kaiser said it plans for its facilities to stay open but is warning of disruptions, rescheduled appointments and possible pharmacy closures."
"The unions frame the strike as a patient safety and workforce retention crisis, not just a pay fight. They argue that low staffing levels and mounting administrative pressures are already delaying care - forcing clinicians to cut back services and, in some cases, leave the organization altogether. One union member - Cameron Cook, a nurse anesthetist at Kaiser's hospital in Redwood City, California - noted that Kaiser has not negotiated in good faith and has tried to portray union workers as greedy"
"He said clinicians are not seeking major financial gains but are fighting to preserve existing benefits and protections that Kaiser is now trying to roll back, despite claims of generous wage increases. "While Kaiser does push this idea that they're offering a very generous wage increase, they're hiding the fact that they're actually trying to cut a lot of our benefits and reti"
About 31,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses and other healthcare professionals plan an open-ended strike over chronic understaffing, rising workloads, and wage and contract concerns. The strike involves primarily UNAC/UHCP members and will affect 20 hospitals and 200 clinics across California and Hawaii. Kaiser plans to keep facilities open but warns of disruptions, rescheduled appointments and possible pharmacy closures. National negotiations have stalled despite Kaiser's claim of a historic wage proposal and accusations of union bad-faith tactics. Unions frame the dispute as a patient safety and workforce retention crisis, citing delayed care, service cuts and clinician departures.
Read at MedCity News
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