Contracts & Bargaining
Bargaining Updates: Kaiser National Bargaining (2025)
National Bargaining Update: November 20, 2025
Watch A Special Alliance Video Featuring President Charmaine S. Morales
The National Bargaining team continued to press Kaiser Permanente on key provisions of our economic proposals even as we reached some tentative agreements. Despite that progress, we made it clear: Our members will not settle for anything less than a transformative agreement.
On both days of negotiations, political allies joined us to help deliver that message. For the sake of patient care, we stand firm on an agreement that protects retirement, lifts wages aggressively, restores pension security, and establishes consistency for workers who have waited far too long for a voice in staffing, care, and other decisions that affect their licenses and the care they provide. We also remain united on protecting the integrity of our first contracts in California and Hawaii, where the employer has pushed pension, health care, and other takeaways and proposed below-market wages.
Alliance of Health Care Unions Bargaining Update
National Bargaining Update: October 22, 2025
Watch An Important Update From President Charmaine S. Morales
National Bargaining Update: October 11, 2025
We’re Standing Firm for What We Deserve
We Are Ready!
Your team at Kaiser National Bargaining has made every move deliberately to protect your wages, benefits, and dignity at work. We’ve pushed back against repeated attempts to lower your value and have refused to accept a contract that gives you less than what you’ve earned.
As we prepare for our biggest move yet—a historic strike of Kaiser’s most essential health care professionals—we continued to bargain in earnest.
Here is our counter October 7 counteroffer to what the employer presented this month:
• We refused to move on the overall across-the-board wage increase proposal, maintaining our position of 25%—because that’s what it takes to keep up with inflation, address wage gaps, and reflect your real value.
• The employer is at 21.5%—still short of what you deserve.
• 17% over 18 months, frontloaded to restore your lost purchasing power from day one.
• We’ve extended our proposal strategically to push Kaiser to move into our framework, not the other way around.
• Our proposal also ensures equity for our union siblings in USW, IBT and UFCW locals working in the Inland Empire and Kern County.
We continue to reject Kaiser proposals that fall short. Our offer ensures you start recovering lost ground immediately. We will not agree to a contract that sells patient care and safety short.
We do not currently have dates for future bargaining with the employer but remain ready and open to reach a contract that our members deserve.
Where we stand now
The employer has moved—but not far enough. We are on the verge of a strike because Kaiser has not yet met your fair demands. This is the final push, and the moment to show our unity and strength.
Our staffing proposals are about real collaboration, not decisions made behind closed doors. Kaiser must meet its staffing commitments. And our members deserve a real voice in shaping schedules that protect both patient care and employee well-being. We have the power to create safer workloads, improve patient outcome and access, and prevent burnout before it starts.
Standing together
We are also standing firm for our newest union members—midwives, nurse anesthetists, child life specialists, and acupuncturists—who chose to join our union for strong pensions, better benefits, fair pay, and respect.
Kaiser’s proposals threaten to keep those hard-won union rights from them, but we are making it clear: No one goes backward when we stand together.
This fight is bigger than mere percentage points. It’s about fair wages across the Alliance, protecting new unionized health care professionals from being punished for organizing, and holding Kaiser accountable for practices that destabilize quality care. Read the truth about Kaiser’s offer.
We’ve been partners at the table, but we’re also fighters on the line when it comes to protecting our professions and patients. We are united. We are strong.
National Bargaining Update: October 1, 2025
Together, We Are The Sea Of Blue
We Are Ready!
More than 400 UNAC/UHCP observers arrived in San Diego by car, plane, train and bus to show support.
Our contracts expired tonight without renewal. But this fight is far from over. Bargaining continues, and your bargaining team is making progress in many areas. But on the biggest issues, Kaiser is still trying to shortchange both patients and caregivers. We must remain united, and ready to act with full force, when the time is right.
On Tuesday, Sept. 30, more than 400 of your fellow UNAC/UHCP members, RNs and health care professionals from California and Hawaii, traveled by car, bus, train, and plane to San Diego to stand as one force at both local and national bargaining tables. Together, we sent a powerful message: We are fully committed and will fight to protect our patients and our coworkers from unsafe staffing.
Where We Stand
Safe Staffing
We’ve put forward frontline solutions — from scheduling templates based on provider involvement to patient-centered appointment times — that can reduce burnout, improve care, and make staffing sustainable.
Pay and Economic Security
Kaiser’s proposals fail to keep up with reality. Inflation, housing, food, and health care costs have soared while our wages have lagged far behind where they should be — especially given our contributions to patient wellbeing and the organization’s success.
Some groups have no pensions at all. After a lifetime of physically demanding work, health care workers deserve retirement dignity, stability, and the promise that they will be cared for.
Kaiser’s Words vs. Our Reality
“We’re hiring” doesn’t address how staff are allocated.
“We value our members” doesn’t square with understaffed units and crushing workloads.
“We offer tuition reimbursement” ignores Kaiser’s refusal to move on pensions, affordable health care, and fair pay.
Our fight is about our full package of fairness and respect.
“We have to fight for what’s right, and what’s right is making sure our patients are cared for with safe staffing, better ratios, guaranteed breaks for nurses, and the highest standards of care at Kaiser West LA and across all of the Kaisers,” said Marla Hunt, RN, 38 years at Kaiser West Los Angeles.
“I realized how powerful this movement truly is. We give so much of our heart, our time, and our families to Kaiser, and Kaiser needs to listen,” said Geraldine Doronio, CRNA, who works at Kaiser Moanalua. “Out in Hawaii, we often feel like we’re on an island—both physically and metaphorically. Being in that room, chanting together, and seeing a sea of UNAC/UHCP blue reminded me that we are part of something much bigger.”
“Our services cannot be compromised anymore,” said Denver Nino, OT, who works at Kaiser Panorama City. “We are unified, and if it takes a strike to protect our patients and ensure the best care, then that is the only way forward.”
The Path Forward
We are moving in the right direction on several proposals, but there’s work to be done. Thank you for the collective power you show every time you wear your blue, speak out, and show up — like today!
Kaiser may collect accolades and boast about its reputation, but let’s be clear: those achievements exist because of us — the caregivers who show up every day for our patients. Now is the time to stay ready. And when the moment comes, we will rise —not just as a sea of blue, but as a tidal wave.
Be ready. Be united. Be unstoppable.
National Bargaining Update: September 13, 2025
Standing Strong at Bargaining
We Won’t Back Down!
Several local tables bargained at the InterContinental this week alongside Kaiser National Bargaining.
Healthcare professionals continued to raise urgent issues at National Bargaining: patients waiting too long for appointments, overbooked caregiver schedules, and heavy workloads that put quality care at risk.
Management continued unacceptably slow movement and refused to acknowledge Alliance proposals that make the 28-year partnership stronger. Our message remains clear: Kaiser patients shouldn’t have to wait for the best care in the world.
Many local tables also met in Downtown Los Angeles, with many observers present to highlight our reality:
- Wait Times: Patients are waiting weeks—or even months—for appointments and follow-up care.
- Overbooking: Management unilaterally sets schedules that overbook patients, leaving too little time for safe, thorough care.
- Workloads: Professionals are carrying unsafe patient loads that drive burnout and make it harder to retain experienced staff.
- Wages: Kaiser’s proposals still fall short of the competitive pay needed to recruit and keep skilled caregivers.
Check Your Emails for Additional Sessions
Our shared goals should be clear: safe, timely, high-quality care for every patient. That requires Kaiser to listen to caregivers and bring forward solutions that address wait times, scheduling, and staffing.
Additional bargaining sessions are scheduled. We need to see real movement from management that ensures we have the rsesources to deliver and improve patient care.
For additions and details on proposals, see Alliance and joint Labor Management Partnership updates.
What’s Next: Strike Authorization Vote
Our contract with Kaiser Permanente expires on September 30, 2025, and management has failed to address urgent issues like pay, safe staffing, retention, and patient care. To ensure we have every tool available to win a fair contract, we are calling for a Strike Authorization Vote.
This vote gives our bargaining team the authority to escalate by calling a strike if need be. This is our strongest leverage. Voting YES is a clear demonstration that we’re prepared to take necessary action protect our patients and our professions.
Learn More
Join our UNAC/UHCP Strike Authorization Town Halls, Sept. 15–18, to hear directly from leadership about why this step is critical and what it will take for us to win. RVSP at unacuhcp.org/strike-vote
Voting Timeline
The Strike Authorization Vote begins Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. and closes Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. All members in good standing will receive a unique voting key by text/email from our vendor Election Buddy.
Get Vote Ready
Update your contact information—email and mobile, non-KP phone number—in MemberLink. We need to make sure your voting credentials are delivered to you correctly.
National Bargaining Update: August 23, 2025
Get Ready!
Management Stalls; We Won’t Wait
More than 1,000 UNAC/UHCP observers attended negotiations this week.
UNAC/UHCP is standing strong as 2025 Kaiser National Bargaining in Downtown Los Angeles continued through Saturday this week. After witnessing management’s stalling, our UNAC/UHCP teams and observers made one thing clear: We will not back down in the largest negotiations of our union’s history. The work and lives of our 32,000 members—and our 30,000-plus Alliance union siblings—are at stake as we shape an irreversible future for healthcare.
Several UNAC/UHCP local tables also met at the InterContinental Hotel this week, where 1,000 members in union gear flooded the meeting rooms to observe the local and national negotiations—adding a tremendous amount of energy and voice.
Lee Saunders, president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) lifted our labor caucus with powerful words of encouragement. UNAC/UHCP is an affiliate of AFSCME.
Fighting for Fairness on Wages
Kaiser has not budged on our across-the-board wage increases.
We are clear on our commitment to raising pay, improving our local contracts, and restoring fairness.
Kaiser refused to address any of our core economic issues. The Alliance maintained our wage demands.
For additions and details, see Alliance and joint Labor Management Partnership updates.
Bargaining Session in September
Reminder: We have a fifth national bargaining session for September 8–12.
Our Strength
Across the country, 60,000 Alliance members are standing together. This coast-to-coast solidarity gives us the power to win fair wages, equity, and the respect we deserve.
We are committed to delivering the quality patient care our communities rely on, and we need the tools and resources to do so. With unity and determination, we will win the strong contract our members deserve.
We are ready to take action. Our goal remains to win a historic contract without needing to escalate, up to and including a strike.
Take the Pledge and Join Strike School
Let’s continue to show our determination to win a fair contract.
- Tens of thousands of UNAC/UHCP members signed our Unity Petition.
- We chanted and marched at four different informational pickets at Kaiser facilities.
- Now it’s time to take the pledge to show that we are ready to do whatever it takes to win a contract that protects our patients, respects our work, uplifts our communities, and secures our future.
- Get ready to do whatever it takes: Our virtual Strike School will be held August 27. Sign up now at unacuhcp.org/pledge. NOTE: Strike school sign-up is visible AFTER you take the pledge.
National Bargaining Update: August 9, 2025
Power in Portland; Unity at the Table
We’re at a turning point. Kaiser National Bargaining isn’t just about contracts: It’s about the future of healthcare, our patients and our professions, and the decades-long partnership we helped build.
Our negotiators are showing up every day with clear, powerful proposals on safe staffing, AI protections, and a partnership that truly serves workers and patients.
Management’s token moves
But progress is being held back by management’s deliberate delays. At the national table, they’ve offered only token movement and continue to stall.
Our current wage proposal moved from 15% to 14.5% in year one, followed by 6.5%, 4%, and 4% (total: 29%).
August 4-6 Session Highlights
Through our efforts at the latest session, our bargaining team achieved important wins and clear commitments, such as:
- Expanded retiree medical premium subsidy options
- Elimination of certain copays and coinsurance for allergy injections, durable medical equipment, and hearing aids
- Advanced staffing improvements through a universal automated dashboard, national toolkits, and stronger committee support
In addition, we made progress on hard-to-fill position strategies, Unit-Based Team protections, enhanced training, and Just Culture accountability. We also established a joint Alliance-KP Taskforce on Technology and AI to address emerging technologies and safeguard frontline roles. For additions and details, see Alliance and joint Labor Management Partnership updates.
New Bargaining Session Added
Our economic counters are grounded in frontline expertise and value while keeping the pressure on management to respond in kind. With management’s stalling threatening to push us past August, we’ve added a fifth national bargaining session for September 8–12.
Ready to Win
Our power comes from you. Our August 1 pickets at San Diego, Riverside, Downey, and West LA, as well as the OFNHP-led Portland rally this week, sent a message to Kaiser management: We are united with one voice.
But to win, we need even more visibility: at bargaining, at rallies, in every workplace. “I’m Ready” lanyards, pledges, and upcoming actions are all in our unity toolbox to show that we’re prepared—and willing—to escalate.
Take the Pledge
Show up and be counted: unacuhcp.org/pledge.
Pack the Room
Join us as a National Bargaining observer for the next session, August 19-21 in Los Angeles.
Sign up on MemberLink today so we can report our headcount and send a strong, united message at the table. Observer meals are covered—and your presence makes a difference. If you can only make one day, choose Tuesday, August 19, for the big morning opening session. We’re in the home stretch, and the employer moves when we move. So let’s pack the room.
Hundreds of Observers
National Bargaining Update: July 17, 2025
We Showed Up!
We are deep in National Bargaining, and the message is clear: When healthcare professionals are united and visible, everyone takes notice. The proposals coming back from management show that your power—on the job, in the community, and at the table—is creating movement.
OUR PRESSURE IS WORKING
Management has responded to our national economic proposals. The counteroffers include:
• Wage increases: Management brought wage proposals to the table, countering 5% increases for the first and second years of the next contract, and 4% raises for the third and fourth years. Although this is a positive start, we still have a ways to go. We are pushing for higher across-the-board raises that recognize and reflect your skill, dedication, and sacrifices.
• Education assistance: Kaiser offered to expand educational assistance. We are holding the line for robust, accessible education benefits that advance equity and give all healthcare workers a path to grow and thrive in their careers.
HOT UNION SUMMER OF POWER: MAKE IT VISIBLE
We’re headed into a summer of action—and now is the time to get a little louder and show up stronger.
Stay Tuned. Here’s what’s coming:
• Day of Actions with coordinated workplace visibility
• Storytelling and Social Media Campaigns to lift up the voice of caregivers
• Community Outreach to build public support and apply pressure
• Escalation Plans to mobilize when power matters most
Every button, every sticker, every shirt, every sign, every story: They all apply pressure. When members are visible, our employer sees that our power goes beyond the bargaining table.
Click here to sign the Unity Petition!
ONE VOICE, ONE FUTURE
This fight isn’t just about economics. It’s about respect, voice, and the future of healthcare. We’re fighting not just for ourselves, but for the patients, families, and communities we serve. Stay engaged. Show up. Speak out. Because when healthcare workers rise, we all win.
National Bargaining Update: June 5, 2025
Economics on the Table
We are not waiting around. We are leading with determination and power.
On Monday, June 2, Alliance members of the Economics Subgroup—backed by the unity and strength of our 22 unions—delivered a bold and historic national compensation proposal to Kaiser Permanente management.
This proposal is more than numbers on a page: it’s a powerful and unapologetic statement of our worth. The package reflects the true cost of living, the real value we bring to KP’s success, and the future we are determined to build.
Later during the session, the full Common Issues Committee reached four tentative agreements related to retirement and pension benefits.
Read the FULL proposal.
Read about the Tentative Agreements from June 5.
For more information, visit:
Alliance of Health Care Unions: ahcunions.org/
Joint LMP Bargaining website: bargaining2025.org
National Bargaining Update: May 9, 2025
Kaiser National Bargaining Kicks Off With Unity And Momentum
This week marked the official kickoff of National Bargaining between Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance of Health Care Unions, covering 61,000 union members across the nation—including UNAC/UHCP. We represent nearly 35,000 Kaiser healthcare professionals throughout California and Hawaii.
Negotiations began with strong energy and solidarity.
Charmaine S. Morales, RNWe kicked off Alliance national bargaining in a way that felt exciting and grounded in understanding of one another, of our shared history, and of what’s at stake for our members and patients. We’re getting back to the roots of real partnership by sharing stories, listening with curiosity, and building the future together.
UNAC/UHCP President
On Monday, Alliance representatives on the Economic Subgroup met to begin early discussions. Later that day, Alliance members in Southern California rallied near Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center, sending a clear message of unity and determination.
From Tuesday to Thursday, the Common Issues Committee (CIC), union and management negotiators throughout the Kaiser regions, convened for the first time, launching the work of three key committees, or subgroups:
• Partnership Effectiveness
• Artificial Intelligence and Technology
• Staffing and Patient Care
These first days of National Bargaining featured presentations from Alliance members, highlighting real stories and successes across different workplaces. A new approach allowed observers to participate in table discussions, fostering transparency and relationship-building.
While the first three days are devoted to learning the process, many Alliance members joined as observers.
Amy Tu, RNI love the AI technology [subgroup] because we’re having the conversations early on making sure that we’re prepared for what’s to come. That’s the beauty of it: Involving our union to ensure whatever we’re practicing includes us from the start.
KWHRNA Hospital President and National Bargaining Observer
Our talks with Kaiser is one of the largest healthcare collective bargaining negotiations in the United States this year. National Bargaining continues throughout the summer. Stay tuned and stay involved.
National vs. Local Bargaining
National Bargaining focuses on issues that affect all Alliance members across every region. These include:
- Across-the-board wage increases
- Health benefits equity (IVF, hearing aids, and retiree medical)
- Pension protection
- Staffing language and its enforcement
- Partnership principles, job security
- Educational funding (e.g., Ben Hudnall Trust)
- Emerging topics such as AI and technology in healthcare
Local Bargaining is handled by each individual union and maybe tailored to the unique needs of each facility or bargaining unit to address more-detailed, job-specific concerns:
- Job-specific wage scales and classifications
- Seniority rules
- Staffing ratios and department-specific workflows
- Remote work policies
- Any benefits or working conditions that vary by region or job title
Important Dates-National Bargaining
- May 6 – May 8: National kick-off
- June 3 – June 5
- July 15 – July 17
- August 5 – August 7
- August 19 – August 21
Who’s At the Table?
The Alliance of Health Care Unions’ (Alliance) National Bargaining Team includes Alliance staff and members from the 21 Alliance unions. This group is called Common Issues Committee (CIC).
UNAC/UHCP’s CIC Members
- Charmaine Morales, RN, UNAC/UHCP President
- Peter Sidhu, RN, UNAC/UHCPExecutive Vice-President
- Elizabeth Hawkins, RN, UNAC/UHCP Secretary
- Moises Alarcon, RN, UNAC/UHCP Treasurer
- Joe Guzynski, UNAC/UHCP Executive Director
- Debra Sung, PT, Representation Director
- Vanessa Caballero, Representation Director
- Brian Mason, Representation Director
- Mandy Hartz, Representation Director
- Erika Tapia, RN, Nursing Professional Practice Manager
- Doug Wong, PA, KRRN-UHCP President
- Marsha Vinson, OD, KPASCO President
- Reyda Roxas, RN, SCNSC President
- Kerin Asher Galloway, CNM, KPCSP President
- Bianka Tulgar, PT, UTSC President
- Stephenie Ellis, PharmD, UPSC President
- Bert Kwok, PharmD, UPHI President
- Matthew Piskura, PT, UTH President
- Brian Nitta, PT, UTNC President
- Linda Stuart, SLP, DASH President
Jane Carter, UNAC/UHCP Director of Research, Public Policy, and Regulatory Affairs, serves as a subject matter expert on the Economic and AI subgroups.
Important Issues
The National Bargaining Coordinating Committee approves CIC subgroups to dive deeper into the most pressing issues for our unions. The groups for 2025 are:
In addition to the Economic Subgroup, the National Bargaining Coordinating Committee has approved three additional CIC Subgroups.
- Partnership Effectiveness
- AI and Technology
- Staffing and Patient Care
UNAC/UHCP Members serving on the Economic Subgroup
- Charmaine S. Morales, RN, UNAC/UHCP President
- Joe Guzynski, UNAC/UHCP Executive Director
Jane Carter, UNAC/UHCP Director of Research Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs, supports the Economic Subgroup as a subject matter expert.
UNAC/UHCP Members serving on the Partnership Effectiveness Subgroup
- Elizabeth Hawkins, RN, UNAC/UHCP Secretary (co-lead)
- Joe Guzynski, UNAC/UHCP Executive Director
- Bert Kwok, PharmD, UPHI President
- Reyda Roxas, RN, SCNSC President
- Linda Stuart, SLP, DASH President
- Brian Mason, Representation Director
- Mandy Hartz, Representation Director
UNAC/UHCP Members serving on the Staffing and Patient Care Subgroup
- Peter Sidhu, RN, Executive Vice-President
- Moises Alarcon, RN, UNAC/UHCP Treasurer
- Doug Wong, PA-C, KRRN-UHCP President
- Kerin Asher Galloway, CNM, KPCSP President
- Bianka Tulgar, PT, UTSC President
- Brian Nitta, PT, UTNC President
- Erika Tapia, RN, Nursing Professional Practice Manager
UNAC/UHCP Members serving on the AI and Technology Subgroup
- Charmaine S. Morales, RN, UNAC/UHCP President
- Marsha Vinson, OD, KPASCO President
- Stephenie Ellis, PharmD, UPSC President
- Matthew Piskura, PT, UTH President
- Debra Sung, PT, Representation Director
- Vanessa Caballero, Representation Director