Kaiser Strike Disrupts Patient Care in Fourth Week

Thousands of Kaiser health care workers, including 22,000 nurses in Southern California, remain on strike to demand better pay and staffing.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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More than 31,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers, including 22,000 nurses in Southern California, have been on strike for four weeks, disrupting patient appointments, surgeries and treatments across California and Hawaii. The strike is an effort by one of Kaiser's largest unions to improve wages and staffing conditions, which the union says have worsened patient care. Kaiser denies these claims and has proposed a 21.5% wage increase over four years, while the union is demanding a 25% raise.

Why it matters

The strike has resulted in canceled or delayed appointments and surgeries for Kaiser's 9 million patients in California, highlighting the ongoing tensions between health care workers and providers over pay, benefits and staffing levels. It also underscores the financial pressures facing the health care industry as costs rise and insurers seek to keep premiums affordable.

The details

Bargaining teams for Kaiser and workers have resumed negotiations after weeks of stalemate, but no agreement appears imminent. This is the latest of a number of major strikes to have roiled Kaiser in recent years, including a 10-week strike by mental health workers in 2022 and a 2023 dispute mediated by the then-U.S. Secretary of Labor. The union is also speaking up for three groups of Northern California employees who recently formed unions and are bargaining for their first contracts: certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists and physician assistants.

  • The strike started on January 26, 2026.
  • The union's latest contract with Kaiser expired in September 2025.

The players

United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals

An umbrella organization for multiple local unions representing nurses, physical therapists, midwives and other health professionals at Kaiser Permanente.

Kaiser Permanente

A large health care provider that serves more than 9 million patients in California and is the state's largest private employer.

Joe Guzynski

Executive director for the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals.

Brian Mason

Lead negotiator for the Kaiser nurse midwives union.

Emily Hardy

A certified nurse midwife at the Redwood City Medical Center.

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What they’re saying

“What we're asking for is the same deal. Everybody else got to deal with inflation. It's really about restoring fairness.”

— Joe Guzynski, Executive director, United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (CalMatters)

“The reality is we're a few hundreds of thousands of dollars apart and that's like being $10 apart for the common person. It's not a lot but they're acting like we're asking for billions and billions of dollars.”

— Brian Mason, Lead negotiator, Kaiser nurse midwives union (CalMatters)

“It has felt very painful because you operated for so long under the assumption that your employer really valued your services and cared about the impacts you made for members. To hear 'we want to lower retirement and keep wages stagnant' does not tell me that you value (us).”

— Emily Hardy, Certified nurse midwife, Redwood City Medical Center (CalMatters)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This strike highlights the ongoing tensions between health care workers and providers over pay, benefits and staffing levels, as the industry faces financial pressures from rising costs and the need to keep premiums affordable for patients. It also underscores the importance of unions in advocating for fair wages and working conditions to retain and recruit health care professionals.