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Nurses and other workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities in Oregon and Southwest Washington—and elsewhere around the U.S.—have authorized a potential strike, as they move to increase pressure on the health care giant days before a major labor contract is set to expire.
Kaiser’s Northwest division provides health care to some 600,000 people, and a major work stoppage would likely hinder operations at a time when health systems are reporting severe financial strain.
Still, the likelihood of an actual strike remains unclear. In a statement, Kaiser describes the strike authorization vote as disappointing, but also as “a common bargaining tactic used to rally union members.” The union is required to give a 10 day notice of any strike, which Kaiser says it has not received.
Negotiations between unions and Kaiser, a major national health system which integrates insurance and health care services, have for months been taking place locally and nationally in anticipation of the Sept. 30 expiration date of the current contract.
One of those unions is the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, which says it represents nearly 4,000 health care workers—including registered nurses, lab workers and other staff, like social workers and physical therapists—who are prepared to strike. OFNHP staff work at Sunnyside Medical Center and Westside Medical center, as well as surgical centers and clinics along the I-5 corridor, from Longview to Eugene.
In a statement, OFNHP president Sarina Roher said care at Kaiser facilities has suffered as a result of short staffing—and that the system struggles to recruit and retain workers because of inferior pay.
“We will continue to bargain in good faith, hoping that we can reach an agreement that is fair and respectful for healthcare workers and best for our patients,” her statement said.
Kaiser disputes the union assertions about staffing issues, among other things. At the national level, it says it has recently hired thousands of new employees, including 4,700 involved in the delivery of care. It says the turnover rate of its workers represented by the Alliance of Health Care Unions is 8%, far less than the industry average.
OFNHP is part of the Alliance of Health Care Unions. Unions tied to the group that represent around 46,000 Kaiser workers around the U.S. have voted to authorize strikes. As the Oregon-based union hashes out its own contract with the regional division of Kaiser, the negotiations on major economic matters are taking place at the national level.
Bargaining on that front is set to resume later this week in Los Angeles. After a recent session wrapped up earlier this month, Kaiser released basic details of its present offer, including 6.5% wage increase for 2025, an additional 6.5% increase in 2026, and more increases down the line that amount of a 20% wage bump over the life of a proposed four year contract.
In Northwest states like Oregon, Kaiser says it is offering a $22 per hour minimum rate—which it says would be the first step in all wage scales, meaning many workers would make considerably more.
Health systems in Oregon and beyond have been reporting skyrocketing expenses. At the Portland Metro Chamber earlier this month, Kaiser Health Northwest chief Dr. Wendy Watson cited an array forces at play.
Some were demographic. Oregon is aging, creating a deteriorating risk pool that drives up costs, she said. Meanwhile, she said, costs of new weight management drugs, known as GLP-1s, have mounted.
And then there are the labor costs. She said unions in the area are flexing their considerable power to demand better pay, in part by building off earlier contract negotiations with other health systems which are competing for workers.
“The situation that’s happening here,” she said, “is every system—as a new contract gets negotiated—builds off the last system."
