UNAC/UHCP RNs and Health Care Professionals End Five-Day Strike With New Momentum As Staffing Landscape Shifts 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sunday, October 19, 2025

CONTACT: press@unacuhcp.org
**Photos and videos from the strike line available here, courtesy of UNAC/UHCP**

UNAC/UHCP RNs and Health Care Professionals End Five-Day Strike With New Momentum As Staffing Landscape Shifts 

Thousands of frontline caregivers prepare to return to the bargaining table backed by community support and a national patient safety mandate

LOS ANGELES — 31,000 Kaiser Permanente registered nurses and health care professionals across California and Hawaii represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) concluded their historic five-day strike today — sending a resounding message that patient care and safe staffing must come first.

The strike, which began October 14 at more than 500 Kaiser hospitals and clinics, drew powerful support from patients, community members, and elected officials across the state. From day one, the energy was clear: caregivers are united, determined, and backed by a growing movement for safe staffing and fair contracts.

The Joint Commission’s new standards on staffing, released during the strike, will reshape the landscape of contract negotiations moving forward. It elevates safe staffing from an employer “choice” to a patient safety standard. This shift strengthens caregivers’ position when negotiations resume.

“The Joint Commission has finally said what nurses have known all along: Unsafe staffing is unsafe care,” said UNAC/UHCP President Charmaine S. Morales, RN. “Employers like Kaiser can no longer treat staffing like a budget line. It’s now a national patient safety mandate — and UNAC/UHCP will make sure it’s enforced.”

Throughout the week, Kaiser executives focused on percentages and costs — avoiding mention of their own billions in reserves — while UNAC/UHCP and other Alliance of Health Care Unions caregivers focused on the real issue: patient safety. The union message cut through: unsafe staffing hurts patients, and solutions can no longer wait.

Bargaining Ahead — With Strength

UNAC/UHCP will return to the National Bargaining table with Kaiser Permanente on October 28 and 29, backed by five days of extraordinary unity, broad community support, and a national patient safety mandate that cannot be ignored.

“We stood strong for five days and made sure the world heard us,” Morales said. “This strike wasn’t just about numbers on a contract — it was about the right to provide safe care to every patient who walks through those doors.”

By the Numbers

• 31,000 caregivers on strike across California and Hawaii
• 500+ hospitals and clinics impacted
• Dozens of elected officials voiced support
• Thousands of patients and community members stood in solidarity
• National staffing standards issued by The Joint Commission during the strike

This strike may be over — but the fight for patient safety is not. Caregivers are returning to work united, energized, and ready to keep up the pressure for a fair contract that puts patients first.

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United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) represents more than 40,000 registered nurses and healthcare professionals in California and Hawaii, including optometrists; pharmacists; physical, occupational and speech therapists; case managers; nurse midwives; social workers; clinical lab scientists; physician assistants and nurse practitioners; hospital support and technical staff. UNAC/UHCP is affiliated with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees (NUHHCE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO.