UNAC/UHCP, which represents Kaiser workers such as rehabilitation therapists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and physical therapists, have been on strike since January 26th. At the Oakland facility, there were pickets on Monday through Thursday, full of music, chants, and high energy. After their first week of strike, they continue to hold strong. In total, about 31,000 UNAC/UHCP workers are on strike across California and Hawaii, affecting around 20 Kaiser hospitals and 200 clinics.
This strike comes out of ongoing negotiations that date back to September of last year, when UNAC/UHCP workers were on a five-day strike to fight for their core contract demands of higher wages and safer staffing. However, little progress was made on negotiations since then. Kaiser has argued that it cannot meet workers’ demands for higher salaries because the cost would ultimately be passed on to patients through higher insurance premiums. This claim is ridiculous, as Kaiser holds around $66 billion in reserves.
As we enter the second week of the strike, 3,000 UFCW workers in Southern California — representing pharmacy and laboratory workers at Kaiser — will also join the strike starting February 9th. UNAC/UHCP and UFCW workers are determined to not make it easy for Kaiser. The fight for better contract, benefits, and safe staffing levels continues!
