SACRAMENTO – (Tuesday, October 3, 2023) – The California Labor Federation representing over 1,200 affiliate unions and over 2.2 million workers has officially granted statewide strike sanction to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions—which includes SEIU-UHW, SEIU 121RN, OPEIU Local 29, OPEIU Local 30, and IFPTE Local 20. With the granting of strike sanction, all picket lines will be honored by the Labor Federation, 23 local labor councils, and affiliated unions, demonstrating the remarkable power of worker solidarity.
“Workers at Kaiser Permanente have shown incredible dedication to their patients and their communities throughout the pandemic, and they have cared for our members and our families in the hardest times,” said Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, leader of the California Labor Federation. “They’re going on strike to improve patient safety and quality of care for all of us, and now it’s our turn to show up for them on the picket lines and have their back in this fight. The California Labor Movement will stand with Kaiser workers as long as it takes to stop unfair labor practices and address the understaffing crisis.”
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions—which includes SEIU-UHW, SEIU 121RN, OPEIU Local 29, OPEIU Local 30, and IFPTE Local 20—were forced to leave their final bargaining session without a national agreement because Kaiser executives are bargaining in bad faith with frontline healthcare workers over the solutions they need to address the short staffing crisis. Their contract expired on September 30.
Kaiser unions are holding a 3-day Unfair Labor Practice Strike, and some sympathy strikes, beginning at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 4 and ending at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 7.