What Your UNAC/UHCP Caregivers Want You To Know About Kaiser Care
New Report: Profits Over Patients
Kaiser Permanente has strayed from the values that once defined it—principles that put people, not profits, first. UNAC/UHCP’s report Profits Over Patients: Kaiser Permanente’s Shift in Institutional Priorities and the Dire Consequences to Health Care documents how Kaiser has strayed from its founding mission and moved towards profit, expansion, and Wall Street-style asset accumulation that has created real consequences for patient care and caregiver well-being. Kaiser claims it “cannot afford” union proposals for safe staffing and fair contracts, but the numbers tell a different story.
Our Caregivers. Our Patients. Our Fight Continues.
Across California and Hawaii, UNAC/UHCP caregivers continue to fight for what patients deserve and what our professions require: safe staffing, fair pay, and the time and resources to deliver quality care.
This fight isn’t just about a contract—it’s about addressing challenges that prevent patients from getting the care they need, when they need it, and caregivers from providing that care safely and sustainably.
Patients Are Standing With Us
Patients and families have also spoken up—sharing their stories, expressing gratitude for the care they receive, and standing with the caregivers who care for them during life’s most critical moments.
Their voices reinforce what we know to be true: safe staffing, reasonable workloads, and experienced caregivers at the bedside lead to better outcomes for everyone.
Healthy staffing directly affects patient care. As a patient, I’m appalled by the long wait times for appointments, rushed visits, rising medication costs, and visibly exhausted caregivers across departments. Kaiser needs to respect both its staff and the patients who depend on them.
Debra
A strong, sustainable midwifery workforce benefits mothers, children, and the entire community. Midwives should not face cuts to wages or benefits, nor lose the ability to schedule care in ways that meet the needs of the people they serve.
Carel
Nurses should be supported in every way possible. They are on the frontlines of patient care, working long hours under immense pressure. They deserve respect, fair wages, and the support needed to continue providing high-quality care. As someone with a family member entering the profession, I know how important it is that nurses are valued and protected.
Lisa
Kaiser nurses and healthcare professionals deserve fair pay for the exceptional care they provide every day. As a longtime Kaiser patient of 25 years, I’m eternally grateful for them—and deeply concerned that executives are cutting pay and adding workloads to their already overloaded work assignments, even as Kaiser is pouring money into expansions, investments, and their own executives’ pockets.
Martha
As a Kaiser patient, I have seen services and treatment negatively impacted. Kaiser needs to practice what it preaches to provide appropriate patient care.
Paula
I’ve seen it firsthand as a patient that wait times are out of control because they don’t hire enough providers. We had to wait three months to get an orthopedic appointment.
David
I’m tired of waiting to see a doctor and being told to go to urgent care instead. What’s the point of having a primary doctor if you can’t get an appointment for months?
Cheryl
I’ve been a Kaiser patient for decades and once saw its growth as a positive sign. In recent years, though, care has become more rigid, with fewer options and less flexibility for patients. Because of overbooking and staffing shortages, staff appear increasingly stressed, and Kaiser feels more like a machine than a healthcare organization centered on people.
Kathy
Nurses and health care professionals provide the most care that any patient gets. They go into this profession because of their love and commitment to taking care of people. But if they are overworked, they cannot do their jobs well, and we all suffer. When case loads are too large, no one wins.
Andrea
Lawmakers Are Listening
Elected leaders across California have stepped forward to hear directly from our caregivers. They’ve met with nurses and health care professionals, listened to their experiences, and expressed support for the fight to strengthen patient care and stabilize the healthcare workforce.
These conversations matter. When lawmakers listen to caregivers, they hear firsthand how staffing decisions affect patients, families, and entire communities.
here are the FACTS
Fact #1:
$67 Billion Kaiser Permanente has $67 billion in cash reserves, $22 billion more than it had in 2021.
$67 Billion Kaiser Permanente has $67 billion in cash reserves, $22 billion more than it had in 2021.
A recent Center for Media and Democracy analysis reveals troubling spending choices that raise questions about Kaiser’s priorities:
- From December 31, 2023, to June 30, 2025, Kaiser has invested $1.1 billion more in hedge funds and $1.9 billion more in private equity — despite growing criticism of both for high fees, low transparency, and poor returns. Even the University of California divested from hedge funds earlier this year over these same concerns.
- From 2019 to 2023, Kaiser nearly doubled its spending on outside staffing firms, from $600 million to $1.1 billion.
- Kaiser still pays for first-class airfare for senior executives and Board members — and even for their companions — while operating as a nonprofit health system.
Kaiser did not respond to the Center for Media and Democracy’s request for comment.
Fact #2:
31,000 frontline health care professionals across California and Hawaii support Kaiser patients
31,000 frontline health care professionals across California and Hawaii support Kaiser patients
The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) represents a diverse group of frontline caregivers—including registered nurses, pharmacists, nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, optometrists, physician assistants, rehab therapists, acupuncturists, speech language pathologists, dietitians, audiologists, health educators, case managers, child life specialists, and other specialty health care professionals—across California and Hawaii.
Together, we’re fighting to stabilize the workforce, reduce patient wait times, and ensure safer, healthier communities.
UNAC/UHCP is the largest union in the Alliance of Health Care Unions, representing 52,000 Kaiser Permanente workers nationwide united for safe staffing and patient care.
🔗 Learn more about the labor, community, and elected leaders who support our caregivers: unacuhcp.org/community-support
Fact #3:
If Kaiser Does Right By Us, It Does Right By You
This isn’t just about numbers—it’s about patient safety, caregiver burnout, and a health care system under growing pressure.
Here’s what we’re fighting for:
• Safe staffing — enforceable ratios and workload protections
• Fair wages — compensation that matches expertise and cost of living
• Real investment in caregivers — training, mental-health support, career pathways
🔗 Learn more about our special reports on hospital staffing and health care professional education:
UNAC/UHCP Research – UNAC/UHCP