Article
Where things stand
Members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals walked out on Jan. 26 at Kaiser Permanente facilities across California and Hawaii. The union says about 31,000 workers are involved across more than two dozen hospitals and hundreds of clinics. The group includes registered nurses, pharmacists, nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, midwives, physician assistants and rehabilitation therapists. Their previous contract expired Sept. 30, 2025, and a five-day strike in October ended without a deal.
Unlike most recent hospital strikes, this one has no end date. As of Feb. 2, picket lines remained active with no settlement in sight. Separately, UFCW locals representing Kaiser pharmacy and laboratory workers issued a 10-day strike notice on Jan. 29, setting up a possible walkout on Feb. 9.
The gap between the two sides
Kaiser has offered a 21.5% wage increase over the life of the contract, with 16% in the first two years. Including step increases and local adjustments, the system says average raises would reach about 30%. It says union demands would amount to a 63% average increase and roughly $3 billion in added annual payroll, about $1 billion more than its offer. The union frames the dispute around staffing, workload and access to care, and it has filed an unfair labor practice charge alleging Kaiser left the bargaining table in December.
Kaiser says its hospitals and most medical offices remain open, staffed by physicians, managers and contract professionals. Some appointments, including certain elective surgeries, are being moved to virtual visits or rescheduled.
What other systems should take from it
Few organizations have Kaiser’s scale or its integrated insurance revenue to absorb a long walkout. That is the point: a strike with no end date tests contingency plans built for three- or five-day events. Executives should look at a few areas now.
- Contingency depth. Replacement staffing contracts often assume short strikes. Know how long your vendors can sustain coverage, at what cost, and with what credentialing lead time.
- Clinical scope. This strike covers far more than bedside nurses. Plans need to account for pharmacy, anesthesia, advanced practice and therapy roles.
- Staffing as the core issue. Wage offers that would once have closed a deal may not resolve disputes centered on workload. Leaders should be able to show staffing data, not just pay comparisons.
- Communication. Patients, physicians and boards need consistent, early updates on what services continue.
- Bargaining calendar. Boards should know which contracts expire in the next 24 months and how talks are going.
Archive entry for Feb 5, 2026, added Nov. 11, 2026.