Kaiser nurses in California, Hawai‘i to return to work Tuesday after weekslong strike

Nurses and health care professionals from Kaiser Permanente will return to work across facilities in California and Hawai’i after a four-week strike.

The health care professionals, represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals, will return to work on Tuesday at 7 a.m.

There will be no picket lines today as the union and employer finalize return-to-work agreements.

Over the past 48 hours, “significant movement” at the bargaining table prompted union leaders to send the employer a notice of unconditional return to work, according to a news release from the union. The union went on to state that returning members to their patients and their livelihoods is the clearest path to securing a final agreement and building on the progress achieved during the strike.

On Jan. 26, 31,000 members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals went on strike after national negotiations with Kaiser stalled.

“The work stoppage was the largest open-ended strike of registered nurses and health care professionals in United States history,” union officials stated.

Since March 2025, the union has been in contract negotiations with Kaiser, as the union representing frontline caregivers seeks a contract with provisions to address chronic staffing shortages that impact patient care.

Big Island Now reached out to Kaiser Permanente for comment and is awaiting a response.