Over 75,000 workers from the nation’s largest nonprofit healthcare organization walked out on October 4, 2023, beginning the largest healthcare worker strike in U.S. history. The strike was organized by a coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions across the U.S., affecting Kaiser hospitals and medical offices in Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, Washington DC, and California. The striking workers demanded increased pay and an end to understaffing. The strike disrupted several non-essential patient services, such as medical testing and laboratory services. NBC News states, “Workers on strike include licensed vocational nurses; optometrists; behavioral health workers; pharmacists; emergency, radiology, and surgical technicians; and people in hundreds of other roles.” 

Due to the lack of these workers, various elective surgeries have been canceled, and patients have been forced to reschedule. The strike temporarily ended on Friday, November 7, while the Kaiser union and the company resumed discussing higher pay and better benefits for the doctors, nurses, and other staff. Faculty members plan to strike again if a new labor contract is not negotiated before November 1. A second strike would have an even more significant impact, as it would last longer and include more workers, which could lead to further disruption in the healthcare system.

Update: On October 14, Kaiser and the union agreed to a new contract, ending the strike.