Kaiser Strike Grows as 3000 More Workers Walk Out

Here's a number worth sitting with: 34,000 healthcare workers are currently standing outside Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics across California and Hawaii instead of inside them caring for patients. On Monday morning, more than 3,000 pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants, clinical lab scientists, and medical lab technicians represented by UFCW Southern California locals marched through hospital doors for the last time (for now), joining the 31,000 nurses and healthcare professionals with UNAC/UHCP who have been on the picket line since January 26. This is now the largest active healthcare strike in the United States, and it shows zero signs of slowing down.

What Sparked This Strike -- and Why Is It Growing?

The short answer: Kaiser walked away from the table. The longer answer requires some context. Negotiations between Kaiser and the Alliance of Health Care Unions kicked off in May 2025. By December, after seven months of talks -- the longest national bargaining period in Kaiser's history -- management left the bargaining table and, according to the unions, replaced genuine negotiation with what they call "misleading communications designed to divide and discourage workers."

That prompted UNAC/UHCP to file unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging Kaiser "unlawfully refused to bargain" and attempted to bypass the established national bargaining process. On January 26, 31,000 workers walked out at more than two dozen hospitals and hundreds of clinics. This wasn't a three-day warning shot like the 2023 strike that involved 75,000 workers. This one is open-ended -- no expiration date, no planned return.

Then came the second wave. Three UFCW locals -- Local 770, Local 324, and Local 135 -- filed their own 10-day ULP strike notice on January 29. Their pharmacy contract expired November 1, 2025, and their lab contract expired February 1, 2026. Negotiations went nowhere. So on February 9, 3,353 more workers joined the line: 2,424 pharmacy employees and 929 clinical lab scientists across Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, and Kern Counties.

What Do Workers Actually Want?

The demands break into three buckets: wages, staffing, and benefits. Let's unpack each.

On wages, Kaiser has offered a 21.5% raise over four years, with 16% front-loaded into the first two years. When step increases and local adjustments are factored in, Kaiser says the total average increase comes to roughly 30%. The company calls this its "strongest national bargaining offer ever." The union initially sought 38% and has since come down to 25%. Kaiser says the union's demand would increase annual payroll by $3 billion -- $1 billion more than what management proposed -- and make care less affordable for its 13.1 million members.

On staffing, this is where the temperature really rises. Workers say persistent staffing shortages are driving burnout, delaying care, increasing workloads, and pushing experienced caregivers out the door. UNAC/UHCP President Charmaine Morales put it bluntly: "Kaiser refuses to bargain in good faith over staffing that protects patients." This isn't just a labor talking point -- a recent AHA workforce report found that 55% of healthcare employees plan to search for new jobs in 2026, with burnout as the primary driver.

On benefits, the unions say Kaiser is pushing a two-tier wage and retirement structure that would pay newer workers less and slash retirement benefits. One striking worker told reporters: "They want us to sell future nurses and future staff down the river by signing something that says we're okay with new nurses being paid half of what we're paid." UFCW workers are also demanding wage equity for lower-paid employees in Kern County, retroactive pay, and aligned contract expiration dates so all unions bargain together -- a detail that suddenly feels very strategic.

Can Kaiser Actually Afford What Workers Are Asking For?

This is where the "unsustainable" argument gets interesting. Kaiser Permanente is the largest private nonprofit health organization in the United States, serving nearly 13.1 million members across eight states plus D.C. In 2025, the company posted $127.7 billion in operating revenue and $1.4 billion in operating income. Its unrestricted financial reserves sit at an estimated $67 billion -- a figure the union likes to wave around on picket signs, and honestly, can you blame them?

The union's math is straightforward: a $3 billion payroll increase represents roughly 2.3% of annual revenue for a system sitting on $67 billion in reserves. Kaiser's math is different: they point to a 1.1% operating margin and the rising cost of care delivery. "These demands would raise annual payroll by $3 billion," Kaiser spokeswoman Jennifer Dailard told reporters, framing the gap as a choice between worker pay and patient affordability. But when your CEO Greg Adams has already faced a formal no-confidence vote from Oregon nurses who say the organization has "drifted away from honoring the principles of the labor management partnership," the trust deficit is real.

What Does "Divide and Discourage" Actually Look Like?

Kaiser didn't just leave the bargaining table -- the unions say management launched a coordinated communications campaign aimed at fracturing worker solidarity. UFCW Local 135 President Todd Walters accused Kaiser of "refusing to return to the national bargaining table" while simultaneously sending messages directly to workers that bypass union leadership -- a classic pressure play.

The two-tier wage proposal is another flashpoint. By offering different pay scales and retirement benefits to newer hires, unions say Kaiser is deliberately trying to pit veteran workers against newcomers. The logic: if current employees get theirs, why would they fight for future colleagues? It's a tactic as old as organized labor itself, and these workers aren't having it.

Then there's the return-rate dispute. Kaiser claims that over 35% of striking nurses have returned to work, with some locations seeing rates as high as 55%. The union fires back: "Seven out of 10 workers after two weeks remain committed." Kaiser also alleges some workers have been "threatened with union fines" for crossing the picket line. The union denies any threats or retaliation. Pharmacy worker Claudia Mayorga told the Orange County Register: "No one has crossed picket lines. The strike is important for all of us." One certified registered nurse anesthetist on the national bargaining team summed up the mood in three words: "Kaiser has ghosted us."

How Are Patients Being Affected?

The human cost is already showing up in waiting rooms. Patient Michael Nestor, 74, told the Orange County Register that his airway removal surgery has been postponed: "I don't deserve to die like this. It's a horrible way to treat me." While Kaiser says hospitals and emergency departments remain open, the addition of pharmacy and lab workers to the strike is forcing real operational changes.

Some pharmacies are closed entirely. Those still open are running on adjusted hours with significant wait times. Lab services are delayed. Non-urgent procedures are being rescheduled. Kaiser is directing members to its mail-order pharmacy (3-5 day delivery) and partnering with commercial labs and retail pharmacy networks to pick up the slack. The organization says employees from other regions have volunteered to temporarily relocate to Southern California, and managers are filling in where possible.

But here's the uncomfortable truth: when you're relying on temporary workers and managers to fill roles that require years of specialized training, "fully operational" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Travel nurses typically cost two to three times regular staff wages, which means Kaiser is burning cash to avoid paying its own people. At some point, the math of strike-breaking becomes more expensive than the math of a deal.

The ripple effects extend beyond Kaiser's walls. LACERA -- the retirement system for Los Angeles County employees -- issued an advisory to its members about potential disruptions to Kaiser coverage. Community health clinics that share referral networks with Kaiser are reporting increased patient volumes as members seek care elsewhere. And for the 13.1 million people who pay Kaiser premiums every month, the question isn't abstract. It's deeply personal: can I get my prescriptions filled this week? Will my lab results come back on time? Is my surgery still happening?

What Does This Mean for the Broader Healthcare Workforce?

The Kaiser strike isn't happening in a vacuum. It's a symptom of a healthcare labor market that is cracking under pressure. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, the U.S. could face a shortage of nearly 700,000 physicians, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses by 2037. An estimated 6.5 million healthcare professionals may exit the workforce by 2026, creating a shortfall of more than 4 million workers. And 55% of healthcare employees say they plan to search for new jobs this year.

That's the backdrop against which Kaiser is telling workers its 21.5% offer is generous. In a labor market where nurses are striking in New York, healthcare staffing firms are scrambling to fill gaps, and burnout is pushing experienced professionals out the door, the workers holding picket signs have more leverage than any spreadsheet reveals. Kaiser may be the country's largest private nonprofit health system, but it still needs people to show up.

The 2023 Kaiser strike -- which at 75,000 workers was the largest healthcare strike in U.S. history -- ended after three days and resulted in a 21% raise over four years, ratified by 98.5% of union members. Two years later, many of those same workers are back outside, saying the underlying problems -- staffing, two-tier pay, management trust -- never got fixed. That should tell you something about what a deal without real reform actually gets you.

For job seekers and career changers, the signal is loud and clear: healthcare remains one of the most in-demand sectors in the economy, but the working conditions that drive people out are exactly what's driving wages and bargaining power up. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects healthcare occupations will grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2032. But growth projections mean nothing if the workers filling those roles are too burned out to stay. The Kaiser strike is a referendum on whether America's largest health systems are willing to invest in the people who keep them running -- or whether they'll keep treating their workforce like a line item to be minimized.

As Voice of OC reported, the strike continues to swell with no resolution in sight. With healthcare labor law issues intensifying across the industry and the NLRB processing unfair labor practice charges, the outcome of this standoff won't just affect Kaiser's 34,000 striking workers. It will set the tone for every healthcare contract negotiation in the country for years to come.

People Also Asked

How long has the Kaiser Permanente strike been going on?

The initial strike by 31,000 UNAC/UHCP nurses and healthcare professionals began on January 26, 2026, making it two full weeks old as of February 9. The strike is open-ended with no scheduled end date. The UFCW pharmacy and lab worker strike that began on February 9 is planned for three days but could be extended depending on negotiations.

Which Kaiser Permanente locations are affected by the strike?

The UNAC/UHCP strike spans dozens of Kaiser hospitals and hundreds of clinics across California and Hawaii. The UFCW strike covers Southern California facilities in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, and Kern Counties. Picket lines are active at major medical centers including San Diego Medical Center and San Marcos Medical Center.

Are Kaiser Permanente hospitals still open during the strike?

Yes. Kaiser says hospitals and emergency departments remain open, staffed by temporary contract workers, managers, and volunteers from other regions. However, some pharmacies have closed, lab services are delayed, and non-urgent appointments and surgeries may be rescheduled. Kaiser recommends using their mail-order pharmacy and virtual care options where possible.

Whether you're a healthcare worker weighing your options, a patient wondering what comes next, or a professional watching the labor market shift in real time -- staying informed is your best move. Metaintro delivers the career news, job market insights, and workplace trends you need to stay ahead.