Health Workers Cite Burnout, Unsafe Conditions in Kaiser Strike Threat

LOS ANGELES — More than 31,000 nurses and health care workers at Kaiser Permanente across California and Hawaii have issued notice of an open-ended strike beginning Jan. 26, escalating a months-long labor dispute over staffing levels, working conditions and patient care, union officials said.

The workers, represented by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists and UNAC/UHCP, said the action will take the form of an unfair labor practice strike, meaning it is not limited to a single day but could continue indefinitely.

Union leaders say negotiations have stalled after months of talks that failed to resolve what they describe as chronic understaffing, unsafe working conditions and increasing burnout among staff.

Last week, the union released an 83-page report detailing what it characterizes as Kaiser’s shift away from patient-centered care toward financial priorities. The report alleges that cost-cutting and productivity demands have worsened conditions for frontline workers while compromising patient safety.

The report accuses Kaiser Permanente of hypocrisy, contrasting its public image as a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion with financial and operational practices that undermine those claims. It cites documented overbilling of Medicare Advantage, extracting resources from elderly and disabled patients, while surplus revenue is steered into foreign markets and high-risk investments instead of marginalized communities. Allegations of improper medical waste disposal and ties to private prisons, predatory lenders, and fossil fuel companies deepen concerns. Taken together, the report argues Kaiser’s equity rhetoric masks practices that may perpetuate the very disparities it claims to fight.

Union officials acknowledge the document is an advocacy report but say it reflects unresolved concerns raised repeatedly through internal channels and bargaining sessions.

“When tens of thousands of health care workers prepare for an open-ended strike, it’s not about walking away from patients,” union representatives said in a statement. “It’s about refusing to normalize unsafe care.”

Kaiser Permanente did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report or the strike notice.

The planned strike could significantly disrupt care at one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems, which serves millions of patients across multiple states. Union leaders said they plan to continue providing updates on what the strike could mean for patients, workers, and the broader health care system as the situation develops.

The planned strike could affect Kaiser Permanente facilities throughout the Los Angeles Harbor Area and the broader Southern California region.

The strike notice includes picket lines at nearly 20 Kaiser hospitals and 200 clinics across California and Hawaii. This would cover multiple facilities in Southern California, from Los Angeles to San Diego.

Kaiser has stated in earlier strikes that it plans to keep hospitals and medical offices open and maintain urgent and emergency care by redeploying non-striking staff and bringing in temporary clinicians — although nonurgent appointments and services may be rescheduled or modified.