Why are Kaiser Permanente nurses on strike? Reason explained

Multiple nurses and health care workers of Kaiser Permanente Health Care in California have started a strike, seeking better wages and more staff members. The strike began earlier this week, on October 14, 2025.

According to the Associated Press, the organization said that the wages can be increased only if they start charging more from the customers. While the employees are demanding a rise of 25%, the company claimed that their earnings are reportedly 16% more than those of others.

The organizers of the strike alleged that the company does not have enough staff members to look into the demands of the patients, and the wages are not keeping up with inflation at the same time.

In a statement shared on their website, Kaiser Permanente said that they have reduced internal costs and optimized operations to increase wages. The company mentioned that they have prioritized making the best and most affordable health coverage available for everyone.

The statement reads that the company praises the hard work of the employees, due to which they have provided a contract with an offer that is above the market wages. It even includes the best medical plans and certain benefits after retirement.

The website listed everything included in the contract, starting with a wage increase of 21.5% in four years alongside an additional increase of 0.5% at “each local bargaining table.” Apart from that, there is an increase in the annual salary step. Kaiser Permanente referred to the employees’ demand by saying:

“The seemingly small percentage difference between the 2 proposals actually means significantly more because it is multiplied across 60,000 employees and causes related benefit increases over 4 years. The difference between a 21.5% and a 25% increase is about $300 million a year in salary alone by the end of the contract.”

Kaiser Permanente criticized the strike launched by the employees

The organization claimed on their website that they opted to negotiate. Despite that, they were getting notices of a strike that would go on for 10 days. They mentioned that the current yearly payroll for the employees is worth $6.3 billion.

Kaiser Permanente also said that its offer can increase payments by almost $1.9 million by the time the contract ends. They addressed how the negotiations did not work and referred to the strike by saying:

“This strike is unnecessary when such a generous offer is on the table. It is designed to disrupt the lives of our patients - the very people we are all here to serve. Importantly, not all of the Alliance unions currently in negotiations are taking part in the strike – the striking unions represent about 43,000 workers. Many of our staff have shared that they do not intend to take part in the strike.”

The company confirmed that the hospitals and medical offices won’t remain closed as a result of the strike, providing all the services for 24 hours. They said that around 7,600 nurses and other staff members are on board to take care of everything during the strike.

According to the Associated Press, almost 31,000 nurses and health care workers have participated in the strike. The ongoing strike is scheduled to end on October 19, 2025, as per NBC Palm Springs.