Our History

Four Decades of Representing RNs and Other Health Care Professionals

1972

UNAC Born: RNs meet and decide to form an independent association just for RNs with the philosophy that RNs should represent RNs.

1974

UNAC Grows: Congress amends labor laws, giving health care employees the right to form unions; hundreds of RNs in hospitals across Southern California vote to join UNAC.

1977, 1980

UNAC Nurses Fight Back: UNAC Nurses strike Southern California Kaiser Permanente hospitals regarding quality patient care concerns and fair and equitable compensation.

1980

UNAC Looks to the Future: UNAC members vote to expand membership clause to include all health care professions.

1986

UNAC Wins U.S. Supreme Court Decision: St. Francis RNs wins a decade long struggle to join UNAC, fighting all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

1988-1989

UNAC Grows Stronger: Aiming to build strength by affiliating with a national union, UNAC joins forces with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees (NUHHCE) in 1988. The next year, UNAC members vote to affiliate with AFSCME and the AFL-CIO. More than 45,000 AFSCME nurses then join forces to form the United Nurses of America.

1996

UNAC Makes History: UNAC organizes more than 2,500 RNs at Sharp Healthcare in the largest single RN bargaining unit in history, defeating Columbia-HCA’s plan to acquire Sharp.

1998-2000

Historic Labor Management Partnership: UNAC members vote to join the Labor Management Partnership (LMP) with Kaiser Permanente. The LMP provides a card-check organizing agreement. In 2000, Anaheim Registered Nurses become the first group of nurses to join UNAC/UHCP by card check.

1999

UNAC Gets a New Name: UNAC members vote to change the union’s name to UNAC/UHCP (Union of Health Care Professionals), recognizing that UNAC also represents non-RN health care professionals.

2001

Support for Safe Staffing Ratios: Working in Partnership, Kaiser Permanente announces its support for industry-leading nurse staffing ratios developed by UNAC/UHCP and other unions – coming out for better ratios long before state regulators.

2002

Optometrists Get a Voice on the Job: Optometrists throughout Kaiser Permanente join UNAC/UHCP and win a voice on the job, a fair pay structure and significant raises.

2002-2005

A Voice at Tenet: Nurses at Tenet facilities in Lakewood and Irvine join UNAC/UHCP and negotiate a strong model agreement that later includes union members at Tenet’s Fountain Valley and Garden Grove facilities as well.

2005

UNAC/UHCP Builds on Labor Management Partnership: The second national agreement negotiated between Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, of which UNAC/UHCP is a part, builds on the successes of the Labor Management Partnership.

2008-2009

UNAC/UHCP Stands with Parkview RNs: After a contentious anti-union campaign, Parkview Community Hospital Registered Nurses become the newest members of UNAC/UHCP.