Regional pressure builds on Kaiser as Hawaii strike called

Kaiser workers in Hawaii joined three other Pacific states in voting for a strike, citing unsafe staffing levels and wage disparities with mainland counterparts.

by Jeremy Yurow, Court House News, September 22, 2025

HONOLULU (CN) — Thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers in Hawaii voted Monday to authorize a strike, setting the stage for a potential walkout if contract negotiations fail before the end of the month.

Unions representing more than 3,000 Hawaii employees — including nurses, respiratory therapists, medical assistants and hospital aides — announced the results this morning after a week of voting. Unite Here Local 5 said 97% of its members backed strike authorization, while 89% of Hawaii Nurses and Healthcare Professionals members voted in favor.

The vote gives union leadership the authority to call a strike once contracts expire on Sept. 30. Workers say they are demanding safer staffing levels, workload protections and wage equity with their mainland counterparts. The union noted that in certain job categories, Hawaii workers earn as much as 30% less than those on the U.S. mainland.

Workers rallied last week at Kaiser's Mapunapuna clinic in Honolulu and other sites across the islands, holding signs that read, "Stand Up For Better Patient Care" and "Hawaii Is Not Second Class."

Kaiser, the largest nonprofit health care system in the country, said it was disappointed by the authorization vote.

"It is disappointing that union leadership would choose to authorize a strike, which could disrupt care for our members and patients, while we are actively working toward an agreement," the company said in a statement. "We remain focused on reaching an agreement that supports employees, maintains our position as a best place to work, and continues to ensure access to affordable, high-quality care for our members."

Kaiser said its current offer includes across-the-board wage increases totaling 20% over four years, along with improvements to retirement and benefits programs. The company emphasized its long history of collaboration with organized labor, noting that about 92% of its union-represented workforce stays with Kaiser, compared with a much lower national average.

"Kaiser Permanente has a proud history of working collaboratively with labor unions," the company said. "We employ the largest number of union-represented health care workers in the country and work with over 40 unions."

Moises Alarcon, a registered nurse and union negotiator with the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), said Kaiser "calls itself a nonprofit, but it's acting like a corporation hoarding billions while refusing to respect the very workers who bring them patients, members and accolades."

The Hawaii vote comes as part of a broader wave of labor activism across Kaiser facilities nationwide. In recent weeks, workers in California, Oregon and Washington have also voted to authorize strikes, raising the possibility of coordinated walkouts if negotiations fail across multiple regions.

Charmaine S. Morales, a registered nurse and president of UNAC/UHCP, said in the same release: "Kaiser is betting we won't unite and push for the change that patients need. This overwhelming vote proves them wrong."

In Hawaii, the authorization follows a series of hard-fought contract wins by nurses at Queen's Medical Center, Straub Medical Center and Queen's North Hawaii Community Hospital earlier this year. In those agreements, workers secured wage increases and enforceable staffing protections, which union leaders say set a clear precedent.

While the authorization does not guarantee a strike, it signals that Hawaii's Kaiser workforce is prepared to walk out if no agreement is reached by Sept. 30.

Union leaders and Kaiser representatives in Hawaii could not immediately be reached for comment.