Kaiser nurses in Oregon announce possible five-day strike over contract dispute

Nurses and other health professionals at Kaiser Permanente facilities in Oregon and Southwest Washington plan to strike beginning October 14 unless a tentative contract agreement is reached, according to the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP). The potential strike would last no more than five days, OFNHP President Sarina Roher said.

OFNHP represents nearly 4,000 healthcare workers across four bargaining units that include registered nurses, laboratory professionals, and professional employees such as social workers, cancer counselors, audiologists, physical therapists, and mental health therapists. These members work at Sunnyside Medical Center east of Portland, Westside Medical Center west of Portland, as well as ambulatory surgical centers and medical clinics along the I-5 corridor from Longview, Washington to Eugene, Oregon. Their contracts expired on September 30 after months of negotiations with limited progress.

“We’re fighting to make sure Kaiser puts patients first—health care should be driven by our mission, not a desire for more profits. Longer wait times for appointments and shorter times with caregivers undermines the quality of care. At Kaiser, our members provide the best care, if patients can get it in a timely manner,” Roher said. “We want to get back to what Kaiser once stood for—a value system that puts patients first and a partnership with its caregivers.”

Roher also noted that Kaiser needs to prioritize recruiting and retaining healthcare workers so staff are not required to take on more patients with less time per patient. She stated that some employees are leaving for other hospitals due to better pay elsewhere.

OFNHP is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). AFT President Randi Weingarten commented: “Kaiser was built as a healthcare system that believed great healthcare required real partnership between management and labor—a real voice at work for the frontline caregivers. Kaiser has abandoned that value. OFNHP members are looking to provide great healthcare in Oregon, but by every measure, Kaiser doesn’t want to even bargain the basics.”

“They refuse to offer competitive salaries even though Kaiser employees and other staff are needed for patients to get the healthcare they deserve. Frontline employees—whether they’re at the bedside, in the lab or counseling patients—must have the necessary tools and conditions to provide Kaiser patients with what they expect,” Weingarten added.

The OFNHP is part of the Alliance of Health Care Unions representing about 62,000 health professionals working at Kaiser Permanente through 23 local unions among eight national unions. The Alliance is currently negotiating a national bargaining agreement intended as an addendum for each local contract. Contracts covering approximately 52,000 additional Kaiser Permanente workers expired recently; most have issued similar strike notices affecting other regions within Kaiser's network.

“We hope that this strike notice will push Kaiser to come to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair agreement that is good for healthcare workers, patients and the communities we serve,” Roher said.