Hundreds of Kaiser healthcare workers go on 1-day strike

Hundreds of healthcare workers from more than 20 Kaiser Permanente Hospitals in Northern California went on strike Monday, Sept. 8, including one in Roseville on Eureka Road. The picketing began at 7 a.m. and was expected to last until 7 p.m.; hundreds of certified nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists took part in the event, holding signs and cheering as supportive people drove by and honked their horns in solidarity. The strike was organized by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP); the union has been in contract talks with Kaiser for 16 months with no progress. The certified nurse midwives and anesthetists joined the union two years ago, and this is their first contract negotiation. The picketers were calling for better resources to care for patients, more staff and better pay. Michelle Sai is a certified nurse midwife in Modesto. She said much of the public isn't aware that people in her position are advanced practice nurses who require a minimum of a masters degree in nursing to become a midwife, and they play a pivotal role during prenatal visits through labor and delivery. "We want the public to realize that we do a lot more for Kaiser than just catching babies," said Sai. "We are drivers of evidence-based care and it has been proven time and time again with many studies that we reduce morbidity and mortality for women. We lower the preterm birth rate, we lower the C-section rate, we overall have better outcomes and we are a cost saver for Kaiser." Chris Sato is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and was enthusiastically participating in the strike; he expressed frustration with what he describes as the slow erosion of the scope of practice people in his profession are given and inadequate rate of pay. "Our pay is such that it has not kept up with the market and colleagues have left to work for direct competitors. And not out of state, like just down the street," said Sato. "The result is Kaiser is now relying on temporary workers that they're paying significantly more, twice as much as what they're paying me, to do the exact same thing that I'm doing every day. And then they're also having to close operating rooms, which reduces access to care for the patient." Kaiser officials released a statement expressing disappointment that the union would purposely disrupt patient care at their hospital. "We are fully committed to continuing our efforts in the bargaining process to reach a new labor agreement. It is disappointing that leadership of a partner union would ask our dedicated and committed employees to walk away from the patients who need them, and disrupt needed healthcare for our members, while we are actively working to settle a contract," the Kaiser statement said. "We're confident that we'll address key issues and reach an agreement that supports the needs of our employees and affordability for our members, and reinforces Kaiser Permanente as a best place to work and receive care." The statement also disputed claims made by the picketers by saying their staffing levels are up to state standards. "In 2024, we added more than 6,332 people to our workforce, including 4,695 in care delivery and 1,684 in Alliance-represented roles," a Kaiser official said. "We are proud that about 92 percent of our employees in Alliance-represented roles choose to stay with Kaiser Permanente, significantly higher than the national healthcare average." The strike was scheduled to only last for one day; business was to return to normal on Tuesday. Strikers were hopeful this one day of demonstrations would send a clear message to Kaiser that their work is valuable and an agreement must be reached.