Kaiser Permanente said in a statement that negotiations resumed Sunday with unionized nurses and other workers who are planning an open-ended strike starting Monday at dozens of locations in California and Hawaii.
A total of 31,000 employees represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) will take part in the work stoppage, which will include picketing at several Kaiser locations, including some in Northern California and the Bay Area.
Picket lines are planned for Oakland Medical Center, Roseville Medical Center, and Santa Clara Medical Center, according to the UNAC/UHCP.
The union said the strike will continue until an agreement is reached.
Kaiser’s statement on Sunday said that its bargaining team had resumed talks with the union but confirmed that the strike would not be called off while those negotiations continue.
A spokesperson for the UNAC/UHCP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kaiser said plans were in place to maintain services and expected its facilities to largely remain open but said some appointments would need to be transitioned to remote visits. It said emergency rooms and hospitals would remain open.
“Our facilities will be staffed by physicians, experienced managers, and trained staff, with added licensed contract professionals as needed,” the company said in a statement Sunday.
“We’re onboarding nurses, clinicians, and other staff to work during the strike, the majority of whom have worked at Kaiser Permanente before. In addition, many of our employees have volunteered to be reassigned to work in strike locations.”
The UNAC/UHCP is part of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, which represents 23 unions in healthcare around the nation, according to the union.
The union maintains the conflict is about wages, workplace safety and short staffing, while Kaiser said it disagrees the strike is about anything other than wages.