Home-based Care Workers Part Of 31,000-strong Kaiser Permanente Strike

Home-based care workers are among the tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers who went on strike in California and Hawaii, citing a need to improve compensation and clinical capacity.

Upwards of 31,000 health care workers at the organization participated in a walkout on Monday morning at roughly two dozen hospitals and hundreds of clinics across the two states. The workers are members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), which is part of the Alliance of Health Care Unions.

The strike includes a contingent of Kaiser Permanente’s home-based care employees, according to Matt Piskura, a home health physical therapist at Kaiser and a member of the union’s bargaining team.

“I’m on strike, not against our patients, not against my co-workers, not against my managers, but I think an elite few that’s overly focused on the money,” Piskura told Hospice News. “It takes a group of other individuals forming a collective whole to help raise the voices when it comes to staffing. It has a lot to do with access — more patients and fewer providers.”

The health care professionals are voicing concerns related to alleged unsafe work conditions and unfair labor and compensation practices, according to union representatives.

Included in the strike are registered nurses, pharmacists, nurse anesthetists and practitioners, midwives, physician assistants, rehabilitation therapists, speech language pathologists, dietitians and other health care professionals.

Kaiser Permanente facilities in both California and Hawaii have seen higher rates of staff burnout and turnover amid increasing workforce shortages, the union indicated. The issue has resulted in greater risk of errors and delays in care at a time when the organization is potentially considering reductions in wages and employee benefits, according to Charmaine Morales, president of the UNAC/UHCP.

“Instead of addressing unsafe staffing and patient care concerns, Kaiser is issuing messages that pressure workers not to strike, exaggerate the risks of participation and encourage employees to report one another. That is intimidation,” Morales said in a statement. “Kaiser’s own communications to employees reveal exactly why we are striking.”

The Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike, filed by the union, will continue until an agreement is reached. Kaiser Permanente has been in negotiations with the union since May 2025. The talks stalled in December. The ULP contends that Kaiser “unlawfully walked away” from previous agreements and negotiations and practiced “illegal conduct” in the bargaining process that violated federal laws.

Other workforce complaints center around safety and security issues related to private and protected employee information. The union alleged in a statement that Kaiser Permanente shared its employer-provided pension investment funds with “questionable” entities such as foreign companies, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers and “predatory lending” institutions.

The striking health care workers are calling for greater oversight, accountability and action toward mission-driven practices.

Kaiser Permanente responded in a statement that the workforce strike could “disrupt” patients’ quality of life, adding that it is “unnecessary” with “such a generous offer” on the table.

The nonprofit health system launched its integrated care model in 1945. Today the organization serves more than 12.6 million members across the country through the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals group and its subsidiaries, as well as the Permanente Medical Groups.

The Oakland, California-headquartered organization’s markets span Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Washington, Virginia and Washington, D.C., as well as its home state.

Health care workers at Kaiser Permanente receive roughly 16% higher compensation compared to others in similar roles, potentially 24% more in some markets, the health system indicated.

The nonprofit’s most recent proposal included a 16% “across the board” employee wage increase within the first two years of a new agreement, and a 21.5% raise over the contract’s full four-year span, according to Kaiser. This represents an average increase of approximately 30% when local market adjustments are considered.

The proposal included minimum rate compensation adjustments across all of its markets, as well as additional medical benefits for current and retired employees. Kaiser Permanente also proposed improvements to its retirement benefits and education enhancements such as greater tuition reimbursement and increased contributions to its labor management partnership trust fund.

Kaiser Permanente is working to reach an agreement to establish a new set of national and local contracts, the organization indicated in the statement. The negotiations come alongside rising health care demand and increasing costs for both providers and patients.

Kaiser Permanente has been preparing for the strike for months to ensure continued access. The organization has, in some cases, shifted to virtual care delivery when possible and rescheduled certain procedures and surgeries. Additionally, Kaiser Permanente has ramped up recruitment of new nurses and other clinicians at locations in California and Hawaii, many of which were previously employed by or volunteered at the organization.

“Despite the union’s claims, this strike is about wages,” Kaiser said in its statement. “These negotiations come at a time when health care costs are rising, and millions of Americans are at risk of losing access to health coverage. This underscores our responsibility to deliver fair, competitive pay for employees while protecting access and affordability for our members. We’re doing both.”

The post Home-Based Care Workers Part Of 31,000-Strong Kaiser Permanente Strike appeared first on Home Health Care News.