On January 26, 2026, approximately 31,000 Kaiser Permanente registered nurses and other healthcare workers began an open-ended strike in California and Hawaii.[1][2] The strike affects nearly 20 Kaiser Permanente hospitals and 200 clinics and continues with no end in sight until an agreement is reached.[1] The workers, who are members of the California Nurses Union and the Health Care Workers Union, are demanding safe staffing, fair wages and improved working conditions.[2] The union says Kaiser Permanente is trying to cut wages and reduce benefits, including health insurance and pensions.[2] Kaiser Permanente, on the other hand, is offering a 21.5% wage increase over the life of the contract, with 16% expected to be in the first two years, and says the strike is unnecessary.[3] This is the second strike by this group of workers after a five-day strike in October 2025.[3] The two sides are negotiating from May 2025, when the previous contract expired on September 30, 2025.[3]