Kaiser Permanente Nurses, Health Workers in Oregon, Washington Set Oct. 14 Strike Plan

Nearly 4,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers in Oregon and southwest Washington, including nurses, lab techs, social workers, and therapists, plan to strike starting October 14 for up to five days due to stalled contract negotiations focused on staffing shortages and noncompetitive wages. The Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP) represents these workers and notes that their contracts expired at the end of September, with little progress made after six months of bargaining. Union leaders emphasize the need for better staffing and wages to ensure quality patient care and retention of staff, criticizing Kaiser for prioritizing profits over patients. Similar strike authorizations have been issued by unions representing tens of thousands of Kaiser workers across multiple states, including Hawaii, where over 2,000 workers are also set to strike for similar reasons such as wage disparities and staffing concerns. Kaiser has reportedly offered a 20% wage increase spread over four years, but union representatives assert this offer falls short of community standards and does not adequately address recruitment and retention challenges. The strikes come amid rising medical costs and threaten to disrupt health services in the affected regions.