![No deal has been reached after the massive strike against the Bay Area based healthcare conglomerate, Kaiser Permanente. Nearly a month since the strike came to an end, sources from the health care unions say they are no closer to reaching a collective bargaining agreement, though it has increased union solidarity. The planned 5-day strike of Kaiser nurses and healthcare personnel across California, Oregon, and Hawaii came to an end on Oct. 19. Over 30,000 unionized healthcare workers have returned to work at dozens of Kaiser locations in all three states, and negotiations with management have been renewed. Healthcare personnel from the United Nurses Association of California, the United Health Care Professionals, and the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals unions organized the strike as a response to perceived staffing issues and insufficient wages. Upon return to the bargaining table, the unions now seek a 25% wage increase over the next four years - a 3.5% step up from the 21.5% that Kaiser had initially offered. Nearly 6,000 contracted nurses, pharmacists, and other personnel were hired to fill critical positions during the strike. However, the absence of unionized workers did not go unnoticed. The allied unions said in a statement that more than 500 hospitals and medical facilities were affected by the strike, and that they succeeded in sending the message that, “patient care and safe staffing must come first,” as reported by AP News. "I work at the San Leandro Kaiser. They have [certified nursing assistants] on the floor, and they’ll have one CNA for the entire floor. So it’s really rough on the nurses,” said Brian Yang, a Chabot nursing student. “Usually nurses are given five patients, and there’s a difficulty score that you add up for each patient, and sometimes they get really high. It’s hard when you’re understaffed,” he added. “[Unions in healthcare] are definitely important so that you have happier individuals who work for your company. Because with unions, they have a way to have a say in things when you have very large companies making all of the decisions for the company,” said Lauren Satariano, a dental assisting student. Though negotiations seem to have stalled, some units of the Alliance have been able to secure tentative agreements with their respective Kaiser branches, as reported by the Northwest Labor Press.](https://www.spectator.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20251121_104853-scaled.jpg)
No deal has been reached after the massive strike against the Bay Area based healthcare conglomerate, Kaiser Permanente. Nearly a month since the strike came to an end, sources from the health care unions say they are no closer to reaching a collective bargaining agreement, though it has increased union solidarity.
The planned 5-day strike of Kaiser nurses and healthcare personnel across California, Oregon, and Hawaii came to an end on Oct. 19. Over 30,000 unionized healthcare workers have returned to work at dozens of Kaiser locations in all three states, and negotiations with management have been renewed.
Healthcare personnel from the United Nurses Association of California, the United Health Care Professionals, and the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals unions organized the strike as a response to perceived staffing issues and insufficient wages. Upon return to the bargaining table, the unions now seek a 25% wage increase over the next four years – a 3.5% step up from the 21.5% that Kaiser had initially offered.
Nearly 6,000 contracted nurses, pharmacists, and other personnel were hired to fill critical positions during the strike. However, the absence of unionized workers did not go unnoticed. The allied unions said in a statement that more than 500 hospitals and medical facilities were affected by the strike, and that they succeeded in sending the message that, “patient care and safe staffing must come first,” as reported by AP News.
“I work at the San Leandro Kaiser. They have [certified nursing assistants] on the floor, and they’ll have one CNA for the entire floor. So it’s really rough on the nurses,” said Brian Yang, a Chabot nursing student. “Usually nurses are given five patients, and there’s a difficulty score that you add up for each patient, and sometimes they get really high. It’s hard when you’re understaffed,” he added.
“[Unions in healthcare] are definitely important so that you have happier individuals who work for your company. Because with unions, they have a way to have a say in things when you have very large companies making all of the decisions for the company,” said Lauren Satariano, a dental assisting student.
Though negotiations seem to have stalled, some units of the Alliance have been able to secure tentative agreements with their respective Kaiser branches, as reported by the Northwest Labor Press.
