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THOUSANDS OF KAISER HEALTHCARE WORKERS PICKET ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO IMPROVE PATIENT CARE
Kaiser Bakersfield Registered Nurses Association (KBKRNA), Kaiser Baldwin Park Registered Nurses Association (KBPRNA), Kaiser Downey Registered Nurses Association (KDRNA), Kaiser Fontana Registered Nurses Association (KFRNA), Kaiser Los Angeles Registered Nurses Association (KLARNA), Kaiser Ontario Vineyard Health Care Professionals Association (KOVHCPA), Kaiser Orange County Professionals Association (KOCPA), Kaiser Panorama Registered Nurses Association (KPRNA), Kaiser Permanente Association of Southern CA Optometrists (KPASCO), Kaiser Permanente Certified Specialty Professionals (KPCSP), Kaiser Riverside Registered Nurses – Union of Health Care Professionals (KRRN-UHCP), Kaiser San Diego Health Care Professionals Association (KSDHCPA), Kaiser South Bay HealthCare Professionals Association (KSBHPA), Kaiser West LA Healthcare Professionals Association (KWHPA), Kaiser Woodland Hills Registered Nurses Association (KWHRNA), United Pharmacists of Southern California (UPSC), United Therapists of Southern California (UTSC) +14 More
From San Diego to West LA, nurses, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals demand fixes for understaffing, burnout
LOS ANGELES, CA – Across four key locations at Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California facilities, thousands of healthcare professionals picketed today to demand better care for their patients and dignity and respect for the job they do.
“Just a few years ago, we were being called heroes, and nothing has changed. We come to work with dedication and professionalism. We have been good partners. We have been committed to making this the best place to work. We are just asking for them to be committed to us,” said Paul Ciriacks, a registered nurse in the intensive care unit at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Downey.
Nurses, pharmacists, midwives, rehab therapists, and other members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) organized the informational pickets amid bargaining with the healthcare giant, which provides healthcare to one in four Californians. On September 30, 2025, the contract that includes 35,000 Kaiser healthcare professionals working throughout California and Hawaii will expire.
Picketing began at dawn in San Diego and Riverside and continued to Downey and West Los Angeles throughout the afternoon. Wearing blue T-shirts to signify a rolling wave, holding signs, and chanting “Together We Rise,” the healthcare professionals called on Kaiser to make stronger commitments to patient safety in their current contract negotiations.
“When we say protect care and respect workers, we are setting a new standard. This is not just for Kaiser Permanente. This is for healthcare across this country,” said Charmaine S. Morales, RN, President, UNAC/UHCP. “We know what’s safe for our patients, for our communities, for our professions. And we cannot allow things to continue as they are.”
Many healthcare workers have not fully recovered from the trauma and burnout they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of that, healthcare workers must navigate multiple levels of uncertainty, facing daily staffing shortages while dealing with more complex patient needs, but also managing the looming impact of the loss of healthcare for patients due to federal budget cuts.
“We’re committed to our patients and we’re declaring to our community that we’re standing up for them,” said Nikki Avey, a registered nurse who works at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego in the labor and delivery unit.
Leading up to the actions, nearly 20,000 union members and allies signed a petition demanding safer staffing, a fair contract, and dignity and respect for all healthcare workers at Kaiser. Workers delivered signatures directly to Kaiser management during bargaining sessions last week.
“We need every member, every supporter, every person who believes in justice in healthcare to stand with us,” said Kerin Asher Galloway, a nurse midwife at Kaiser Los Angeles Medical Center. “Because today’s picket is not just about us, it’s about the future of healthcare. About making sure that those who care aren’t crushed under the weight of a broken system.
Today’s actions were informational pickets, not a work stoppage or strike, and drew hundreds of labor and community supporters alongside healthcare professionals. This action is part of a rising tide of union advocacy in what has been dubbed “hot union summer.”
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United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) represents more than 40,000 registered nurses and healthcare professionals in California and Hawaii, including optometrists; pharmacists; physical, occupational and speech therapists; case managers; nurse midwives; social workers; clinical lab scientists; physician assistants and nurse practitioners; hospital support and technical staff. UNAC/UHCP is affiliated with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees (NUHHCE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO.