A strike authorization vote by UPMC nurses, who are represented by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, does not guarantee a strike will occur. However, it empowers the union’s bargaining team to call one if necessary. The Kaiser workers have officially called for a strike, making the possibility of it more imminent.
National Union of Healthcare Workers represents about 2,400 mental health workers at Kaiser facilities throughout Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, Orange County and the Inland Empire, according to an NUHW news release shared with Becker’s. Kaiser, a 40-hospital system based in Oakland, Calif., has about 222,300 workers total.
Union members authorized a strike in early October. The union and Kaiser began negotiating a new labor contract in July.
Kaiser told Becker’s via statement that its offer during negotiations “has no takeaways. It not only increases wages, which on average are already 18% above market, but also enhances the comprehensive benefits our mental health professionals enjoy plus provides therapists more non-patient time for planning and preparation.”
The union contends that during bargaining, Kaiser has refused to extend benefits from last year’s contract for Northern California mental health workers — such as providing therapists with seven hours per week for critical patient care — to their Southern California counterparts.
NUHW members in Northern California began an open-ended strike in August 2022. The strike ended in October 2022.
