1,900 Kaiser Permanente hospital workers in Hawaiʻi voting on union strike authorization

More than 1,900 Kaiser Permanente hospital workers in Hawai‘i have begun casting ballots in a strike authorization vote this week, while tensions rise over ongoing contract negotiations.

Represented by the UNITE HERE Local 5 union, Kaiser Permanente workers span 25 clinics and medical centers across the Big Island, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi and Maui.

A hospital aide at Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center who did not want to be identified said she “voted yes to authorize the Union to call a strike,” because she’s “tired of Kaiser’s excuses.”

“It’s time they offer real solutions to the constant short staffing and heavy workloads,” she said. “Working short-staff is mentally and physically draining.”

Local bargaining started in April, and national bargaining with Kaiser Permanente, the country’s largest not-for-profit healthcare system, began in May. Union leaders point out that some Hawai‘i workers are paid up to 30% less than their counterparts on the mainland and face growing concerns over burnout and patient care.

If approved, the vote would give union leadership the authority to call a strike once current contracts expire on Sept. 30.

The online vote began at 6 a.m. on Sept. 15, with results expected by the end of the week or early next week. Meanwhile, rallies are scheduled to take place on Friday across the state.

Additional Kaiser Permanente unions representing more than 50,000 workers across the United States are also preparing for similar strike authorization votes this month.

Two years ago, mental health clinicians represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente on a three-year contract, after nearly a six-month strike.

The strike, which lasted 172 days, was the longest work stoppage by mental healthcare workers in U.S. history.

“We remain committed to reaching a fair settlement before our contract expires at the end of this month,” said Cade Watanabe, the union’s Financial Secretary-Treasurer.

“But we’ve been at the bargaining table since April, and we’re ready to do whatever it takes to get Kaiser to respect our work and put our patients first.”

The labor action is part of a larger nationwide push involving 62,000 Kaiser workers in the Alliance of Healthcare Unions, who are calling for safe staffing levels, fair wage increases and equitable benefits.