Kaiser Permanente nurses and health care workers in the San Diego area are continuing an open-ended strike as the work stoppage enters its fourth week, with no resolution in sight.
The roughly 31,000 members of the United Nurses Associations of California and the Union of Health Care Professionals — a group that includes registered nurses, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, rehab therapists and other specialists — have vowed to remain on strike until a fair contract agreement is reached.
Picket lines continue at San Diego Kaiser facilities, with strikers saying the action is about more than wages. "We're striking because Kaiser has committed serious unfair labor practices and because Kaiser refuses to bargain in good faith over staffing that protects patients, workload standards that stop moral injury and the respect and dignity that Kaiser caregivers have been denied for far too long," said Charmaine S. Morales, a registered nurse and president of UNAC/UHCP.
Kaiser Permanente has pushed back on that characterization, saying the company has offered a 21.5% wage increase — what it called its strongest national bargaining offer ever. Senior Vice President Camille Applin-Jones described the offer as "one of the strongest nursing contract offers in California this year" once step increases and local adjustments are factored in. "This open-ended strike by UNAC/UHCP is unnecessary when such a generous offer is on the table," Applin-Jones said.
The union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging Kaiser walked away from the bargaining table in December and attempted to bypass the agreed-upon national bargaining process. Bargaining has been ongoing since last May.
For Kaiser members in Santee and East County, the strike may mean longer wait times, reduced availability for non-emergency appointments, and potential disruptions to ongoing care. Members seeking urgent care should contact their Kaiser facility directly or use Kaiser's telehealth services to confirm current availability. Strike lines are also active at Kaiser hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and in Northern and Central California.