Approximately 31,000 registered nurses and other healthcare professionals represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) are set to walk off the job at Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics in California and Hawaii starting Monday at 7 a.m. PT (1500 GMT), the union said.
UNAC/UHCP said Kaiser management "unlawfully undermined contract negotiations and attempted to intimidate workers exercising their legal right to strike." The union added that the action will affect more than two dozen hospitals and hundreds of outpatient clinics and that the strike will remain in place until the healthcare conglomerate and the union reach a negotiated agreement.
Kaiser Permanente issued a statement saying it has been engaged in bargaining with UNAC/UHCP and the Alliance of Health Care Unions for more than seven months. The company said the union had agreed to return to "local bargaining" but that UNAC/UHCP nonetheless planned an open-ended walkout beginning at 7 a.m. local time on January 26 at some California and Hawaii facilities.
Kaiser also noted that not all unions in the Alliance who are in negotiations will participate in the strike.
The union said the company walked away from talks in December, prompting UNAC/UHCP to file an unfair labor practices charge with the National Labor Relations Board. UNAC/UHCP had also staged a five-day strike in October.
The 31,000 UNAC/UHCP members are part of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, which encompasses 23 local unions. Earlier this month, nurses in New York City conducted walkouts at 10 major private hospitals across the city to press for higher staffing levels, funding for health benefits and protections against workplace violence from patients, the union noted.
Negotiations and the timeline
Kaiser says bargaining on a new national agreement has been occurring in good faith since May. UNAC/UHCP maintains that management's actions in December effectively derailed talks and justified filing a charge with the National Labor Relations Board.
The strike launch time was specified by the union as 7 a.m. PT (1500 GMT) on Monday, and the union emphasized its intent to continue the work stoppage until an agreement satisfactory to its members is reached.
Scope and representation
The Alliance of Health Care Unions represents 23 local unions, and UNAC/UHCP's 31,000 members make up a significant portion of that coalition. The strike is expected to involve work stoppages at more than two dozen hospitals and hundreds of clinics across California and Hawaii, according to the union.
Background actions
UNAC/UHCP previously held a five-day strike in October. After negotiations broke down in December, the union filed charges alleging unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board, asserting that Kaiser management walked away from talks.