More Than 1300 Join Northern California Strike Line

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, September 8, 2025

CONTACT: press@unacuhcp.org

**Strike photos and videos available here, courtesy of UNAC/UHCP**

HUNDREDS OF KAISER HEALTHCARE WORKERS STRIKE TO IMPROVE PATIENT CARE

More than 600 Northern California midwives and nurse anesthetists walked out to protest understaffing, burnout 

Workers from 20+ hospitals joined strike lines in Oakland and Roseville

OAKLAND, CA – Across more than 20 hospitals in Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California region, hundreds of union healthcare professionals went on strike Monday to demand better care for their patients, calling for added staffing and resources.

Picketing began at 7 a.m. at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, and was expected to continue until 7 p.m.

More than 600 certified nurse midwives and certified registered nurse anesthetists joined the one-day strike amid ongoing bargaining with Kaiser executives–who have yet to settle a fair contract that addresses unsafe staffing, burnout, and the risk to patient care.

The strike was called by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), negotiating the first union contract for the midwives and nurse anesthetists.

Additional sympathy strikers also walked out in support today, including UNAC/UHCP’s Northern California physician assistants and acupuncture providers.

“Midwives at Kaiser are respected by our colleagues, beloved by our patients and their families. We deliver patient-centered care that reduces maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality and increases patient satisfaction,” said Kelsey Kosmadakis, CNM, WHNP, who has worked at Kaiser Permanente in Modesto since 2019. “So many patients choose to come to Kaiser just for midwifery care. They bring their families with them. We are here fighting for a fair contract that protects our patients and ensures our ability to deliver the best care possible. We won’t stop pushing until a safe contract is delivered.”

The strike included caregivers at Northern California Kaiser Permanente facilities from Sacramento to Fresno, and across the Bay Area. In August, the midwives and nurse anesthetists voted overwhelmingly in favor of striking.

“Before a baby takes its first breath, it is the midwife who stands watch—protecting the mother and the family. When a patient drifts into sleep for surgery or procedure, it is the CRNA who stands guard,” said Charmaine S. Morales, RN, president of  UNAC/UHCP, which represents 40,000 healthcare professionals with several employers throughout California and Hawaii. “And that is what this strike is about—creating the conditions for stability instead of turnover. Strong teams instead of shortages. Valuing the work that saves lives is a patient safety issue. Because if we want the best care for our communities, we must honor the worth of those who deliver it.”

“We’ve been bargaining for about sixteen months, and during that time we’ve had roughly 80 CRNAs leave Kaiser to go work for other competitors, primary reasons being low pay and restrictions to our practice,” said Greg Taylor, CRNA, who works at Kaiser Permanente in Roseville. “When that happens, surgeries get canceled, procedures get delayed, it’s not good for Kaiser members. So what we’re asking for is a fair contract that allows us to recruit and retain CRNAs so that Kaiser members have access to care.” Taylor has worked as a CRNA for 15 years, 10 years at Kaiser Permanente.

Across the country, more healthcare workers are organizing—and they’re doing it with patient care front and center. NLRB data show union election petitions have more than doubled since 2021, rising 27% from FY 2023 to FY 2024 alone.

Research links this momentum to better patient outcomes: studies of nurse unionization in California found improvements in nurse-sensitive outcomes and lower heart-attack mortality at unionized hospitals. That’s why more midwives, PAs, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and others are excited to join the labor movement, ready to secure strong first contracts that guarantee safe staffing, workable caseloads, and resources from which patients truly benefit.

Separate Kaiser Negotiations 

Further south, separate negotiations are unfolding between Kaiser and a large workforce of UNAC/UHCP nurses and other union healthcare professionals.

On September 30, 2025, that contract, which includes 32,000 Kaiser healthcare professionals working throughout California and Hawaii, is set to expire.

Many healthcare workers have also not fully recovered from the trauma and burnout they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of that, healthcare workers today are being forced to navigate multiple levels of uncertainty, facing daily staffing shortages while dealing with increasingly complex patient needs, and simultaneously managing the looming impact of healthcare loss for thousands of patients due to federal budget cuts.

UNAC/UHCP is sounding the alarm for the millions who get Kaiser healthcare in California and in Hawaii.

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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.