Kaiser pharmacy workers to join nurses on strike

Pharmacy and lab employees will launch a strike against Kaiser Permanente Monday, as thousands more nurses and health care workers begin their third week of an Unfair Labor Practice strike against the health care giant.

Picketing will take place at select Kaiser medical centers throughout the Southland, with "massive solidarity rallies" planned in Los Angeles, Panorama City and Downey Kaiser facilities throughout the week, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

The UFCW members will walk off the job at 7 a.m. Monday to protest what they call "Kaiser's labor violations throughout negotiations that have prevented frontline healthcare workers from getting the fair contract they deserve."

The union scheduled a 10 a.m. solidarity rally Monday at Kaiser's facility at 4867 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.

Meanwhile, roughly 31,000 members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals have vowed to stay on strike until they receive a satisfactory contract offer.

UFCW Southern California locals represent over 4,000 Kaiser Permanente frontline health care employees who work as pharmacy assistants, pharmacy technicians, clinical lab scientists, medical lab technicians and clinical and administrative workers.

UNAC/UHCP members include registered nurses, pharmacists, nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, midwives, physician assistants, rehab therapists, speech language pathologists, dietitians and other specialty health care professionals.

A Kaiser representative said the newest strike would have some effect on the company's Southland operations.

"Our hospitals, emergency departments, and all medical offices have remained open, though some of our pharmacies and labs will be closed," Kaiser said in a statement provided to City News Service on Sunday. "Members continue to have 24/7 access to same-day care through Get Care Now on kp.org and our mobile app. To best support our patients, we have temporarily shifted some appointments to virtual care and rescheduled certain non-urgent procedures so that our resources remain focused on urgent and emergent needs.

"Employees across the organization are stepping in to help, and many from other regions have volunteered to temporarily relocate to Southern California to support local operations during this period. ... Leadership teams are monitoring operations around the clock, adjusting staffing as needed, and ensuring patients continue to receive needed care."

The company also said the nurses' strike was "unnecessary, disruptive for our members and patients, and counterproductive to reaching a contract agreement."

"Fortunately, the number of employees who are choosing to return to work has been growing, with more than 35% back at work across the striking locations, and as high as 55% back at work in some locations," Kaiser said. "These returning employees are joining the many physicians, nurses, staff, managers and contingency staff to continue delivering care for our patients and members throughout the strike. We are actively rescheduling those non-urgent procedures which had to be postponed over the past week.

"We are hearing from employees who are afraid to return to work as they are being threatened by their union with fines for coming back in to care for patients. Employees who want to return to care for patients should not face any level of intimidation from their unions. We are committed to protecting our employees from harassment and retaliation."

The company says Kaiser nurses are "among the best-paid caregivers in the country, and in every market, we offer pay and benefits that meet or exceed those of other health care organizations."

According to union officials, in December, UFCW and other unions with the Alliance of Healthcare Unions filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging Kaiser unlawfully refused to bargain in an attempt to bypass the agreed-upon national bargaining process and interfere with good-faith negotiations that had been ongoing since April 2025.

They say the contract covering UFCW pharmacy employees across Southern California expired on Nov. 1, 2025, and the contract covering UFCW CLS/MLT employees across Southern California expired on Feb. 1, 2026.