Union of 31,000 Kaiser Workers to Go on Indefinite Strike

The union representing 31,000 nurses, rehab therapists, pharmacists and other specialty health care professionals at Kaiser Permanente plans to go on an open-ended strike at hospitals and clinics across California and Hawaii, it said this week.

After both sides hit a wall in their months-long contract talks, the walkout is set to begin Jan. 26 at nearly 20 Kaiser hospitals and 200 clinics, with no end in sight.

“We will be on strike until we reach an agreement,” said Brian Mason, a negotiator for the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. He warned that the strike will likely cause delayed or canceled surgeries and appointments.

UNAC/UHCP is part of an alliance of health care unions negotiating with Kaiser for a new set of national and local contracts. In October, about 61,000 members of the alliance staged a five-day, multi-state strike to demand wage and staffing increases.

Talks resumed after the walkout, but they broke down in mid-December when Kaiser negotiators accused UNAC/UHCP leaders of not bargaining in good faith.

In a statement issued on YouTube, chief human resources officer Greg Holmes said a union official threatened to release “evidence of illegal, unethical and reputationally damaging information about Kaiser Permanente” unless both sides reached an acceptable agreement.

Kaiser proposed moving forward with contract negotiations at a local level with other unions in the alliance — a move that prompted UNAC/UHCP to file an unfair labor practice charge at the National Labor Relations Board.

The union accused Kaiser of trying to bypass the agreed-upon national bargaining process.

On Thursday, it posted a report online alleging that the Kaiser Permanente Group Trust, which manages pension funds for employees, invested in CoreCivic and the GEO Group, private prison companies that run detention centers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“When Kaiser claims it cannot afford meaningful improvements and summarily rejects proposals that would enhance patient care and health care provider well-being, its financial priorities merit detailed scrutiny,” the report said.

Kaiser has not replied to an email message seeking questions about the union’s claim and its financial investments. Other unions in the alliance are not participating in the upcoming strike.

The alliance has been seeking a 25% wage boost over four years for employees, saying they are underpaid. Kaiser, which maintains that workers already earn above-market wages, has drawn the line at 21.5%.

The difference, which adds up to roughly $300 million a year in salary costs, is what Kaiser said could force it to raise rates among its 12.6 million members, most of them in California.

Union representatives maintain that Kaiser can meet their demands given its profits and an estimated $66 billion in reserves.