More than 31,000 registered nurses and healthcare professionals from Kaiser Permanente concluded a five-day strike on Sunday. This action spanned across California and Hawaii, organized by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP). The strike aimed to address concerns over staffing levels and wage disparities.
Bargaining is set to resume in the coming weeks, following the release of new staffing standards by The Joint Commission. According to UNAC/UHCP, these revised standards will significantly influence contract negotiations going forward. The organization emphasized that this change elevates safe staffing from being merely an employer “choice” to a crucial patient safety standard.
Charmaine S. Morales, President of UNAC/UHCP, stated, “The Joint Commission has finally said what nurses have known all along: unsafe staffing is unsafe care. Employers like Kaiser can no longer treat staffing like a budget line. It’s now a national patient safety mandate — and UNAC/UHCP will make sure it’s enforced.”
On October 17, 2025, Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Region announced that it had agreed to resume bargaining sessions on October 22-23. While the Alliance of Health Care Unions has highlighted staffing issues, Kaiser representatives indicated that wage increases remain the primary concern driving the strike.
Kaiser has expressed its commitment to negotiating an agreement that includes meaningful wage increases and improved medical plans for employees and retirees. They also stressed their obligation to provide high-quality care while maintaining affordability.
As the strike concludes, healthcare professionals are hopeful that the new standards will create a more equitable working environment, leading to safer patient care and fairer wages. With negotiations set to resume shortly, both sides are preparing to engage in discussions that could reshape the future of healthcare delivery within the Kaiser system.
