Thousands of healthcare workers, including pharmacy and lab employees, are escalating their strike against Kaiser Permanente due to alleged unfair labor practices and stalled contract negotiations. This action adds to the existing strike by thousands of nurses and healthcare professionals, impacting operations across the Southland region.
Pharmacy and lab employees at Kaiser Permanente are set to join the ongoing labor dispute, launching a strike on Monday, escalating tensions as thousands of nurses and other healthcare workers enter their third week of an Unfair Labor Practice strike against the healthcare giant.
The United Food and Commercial Workers union, representing these employees, has announced picketing at selected Kaiser medical centers throughout the Southland, with large solidarity rallies planned at Los Angeles, Panorama City, and Downey Kaiser facilities throughout the week. The UFCW members are scheduled to walk off the job at 7 a.m. Monday, their protest focused on what they describe as Kaiser's labor violations during negotiations, which they assert have denied frontline healthcare workers a fair contract. Simultaneously, approximately 31,000 members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals have pledged to remain on strike until they receive a contract offer they deem satisfactory.\UFCW Southern California locals represent over 4,000 Kaiser Permanente frontline healthcare employees. These employees fill crucial roles as pharmacy assistants, pharmacy technicians, clinical lab scientists, medical lab technicians, and clinical and administrative workers. The UNAC/UHCP membership includes a wide spectrum of healthcare professionals, encompassing registered nurses, pharmacists, nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, midwives, physician assistants, rehab therapists, speech language pathologists, and dietitians. Kaiser Permanente representatives have acknowledged that the newest strike will impact the company's Southland operations. A Kaiser representative stated that the company's hospitals, emergency departments, and all medical offices remain open, though some pharmacies and labs will be closed. Kaiser has also mentioned that members continue to have 24/7 access to same-day care through Get Care Now on kp.org and their mobile app, with some appointments temporarily shifted to virtual care and certain non-urgent procedures rescheduled to focus resources on urgent and emergent needs. The company also pointed out that employees across the organization are stepping in to help and many from other regions have volunteered to temporarily relocate to Southern California to support local operations during this period. Leadership teams are monitoring operations continuously, adjusting staffing as necessary, and ensuring that patients receive the care they require.\Kaiser has also characterized the nurses' strike as unnecessary and disruptive for its members and patients, as well as counterproductive to reaching a contract agreement. The company claims that the number of employees choosing to return to work has been growing, with over 35% back at work across the striking locations and reaching as high as 55% in some locations. Kaiser highlighted that these returning employees are joining physicians, nurses, staff, managers, and contingency staff to continue providing patient care throughout the strike. The company also stated it is actively rescheduling non-urgent procedures that were postponed during the past week and said it is hearing from employees who are afraid to return to work, allegedly due to threats of fines from their union. Kaiser states it is committed to protecting employees from harassment and retaliation. Furthermore, the company asserts that Kaiser nurses are among the best-paid caregivers in the country and that their pay and benefits meet or exceed those offered by other healthcare organizations in every market. Union officials reported that in December, UFCW and other unions affiliated with the Alliance of Healthcare Unions filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. These charges alleged that Kaiser unlawfully refused to bargain in an attempt to bypass the agreed-upon national bargaining process and interfere with good-faith negotiations that have been ongoing since April 2025. The contract covering UFCW pharmacy employees across Southern California expired on November 1, 2025, and the contract covering UFCW CLS/MLT employees across Southern California expired on February 1, 2026
Kaiser Permanente Strike Healthcare Workers Unfair Labor Practice Contract Negotiations
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