Caregivers at Providence’s Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Washington plan to strike beginning Aug. 20, according to a notice from their union, Service Employees International Union.The union represents approximately 1,100 workers in service and tech roles at the hospital, according to the Tri-City Herald.

The notice comes after eight months of contract negotiations, according to the hospital. In an update posted earlier this week, the health system said the union is advocating for average wage increases of over 40% and has passed on “multiple strong proposals” from Providence.

The union said it is seeking wages commensurate with those Providence is paying workers at nearby hospitals.

Over 1,300 University of Illinois nurses voted to authorize a strike last week, after negotiations with management failed to produce a new labor contract, according to a statement from their union shared with Healthcare Dive.

The nurses' contract is set to expire on Aug. 19, according to the Illinois Nurses Association, which represents the nurses. The nurses are pushing for pay raises and increased workplace protections, following what they say has been a four-year rise in assaults on nurses at the hospital.

The union has yet to set a strike date, or to say how long a strike might last. The nurses last went on strike for seven days in Sept. 2020.

More than 3,000 nurses will hold a three-day strike at six Providence facilities across Oregon beginning June 18, according to a release from the nurses' union.

The nurses delivered their 10-day strike notice on Friday, following a four-day mediation session with management that failed to produce a contract.The contract negotiations, which have been ongoing for nine months, have centered on wages, healthcare benefits and safe staffing policies, according to the union.

Should the strike occur as scheduled, the union says it will be the largest nurses' strike in the state's history.

Nearly 950 healthcare workers at Geisinger Community Medical Center will strike on May 9 if contract agreements are not reached prior to that date, according to the workers' union, the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals.

The healthcare workers say they have been bargaining for months to ensure contracts address care quality concerns and worker retention. They also are striking to ensure Geisinger preserves nurses' access to sick time.

More than 800 nurses at Freemont, California-based Washington Hospital will hold a 24-hour strike beginning May 1, according to a statement from their union.

The nurses authorized the strike on Feb. 20, after voting to reject what the union said was management's “last, best and final” offer. The parties have been negotiating new contract terms for months, however, the nurses say management's proposed terms fail to adequately address their staffing and benefits concerns.

More than 2,000 nurses are set to hold a three-day strike at Santa Clara County hospitals beginning April 2, according to their union, the Registered Nurses Professional Association. The nurses will be on the picket line at Valley Medical Center, O’Connor Hospital and St. Louise Regional Hospital.

The union delivered their strike notice on March 22, a day after rejecting contract terms proposed by the third-party mediator, according to a statement from the county.

Approximately 940 frontline healthcare workers at Geisinger Community Medical Center voted on March 6 to authorize a one-day strike, according to a release from their union the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals.

The workers are represented by three bargaining groups, which are separately negotiating contracts with management. However, the workers share concerns about staffing levels and changes to Geisinger's paid time off.

Approximately 2,800 nurses at UChicago Medicine will hold a one-day strike on March 14, according to a statement from their union, National Nurses United. The nurses say they are striking over staffing and safety concerns.

The nurses have been in contract negotiations with the hospital since October. Their contract expired in November.

Approximately 700 nurses will hold a two-day strike at two Northwell Health-owned hospitals on Feb. 21 unless the nurses’ union and hospital can agree to tentative contract terms beforehand, according to the nurses’ union.

A possible strike would impact Northwell Health Long Island Jewish Valley Stream and Peconic Bay Medical Center. The nurses’ union, the New York Nurses Association, delivered the required 10-day strike notice to hospital management on Friday. The nurses say the issues in contention are staffing levels and wages.

About 530 nurses began a two-day strike on Thursday at Ascension St. Joseph in Joliet, Illinois, marking the third strike at the facility in the past year.
This strike follows ten months of protracted contract negotiations over wages and staffing levels, and comes after the Illinois Nurses Association, the nurses’ union, voted to reject the hospital’s “last best and final” contract offer in December.
Since that vote, the hospital has implemented its December contract terms, declaring negotiations to be at an “impasse.” The nurses are asking for further bargaining sessions and met with the hospital on Monday, according to reporting from news network ABC 7.
The hospital will employ temporary workers to remain open throughout the strike. Striking nurses will be locked out of work for two days following the strike to honor the temporary staff’s minimum four-day contracts, the hospital said.

Approximately six hundred nurses at Honolulu-based Kapi‘olani Medical Center will conduct a seven-day strike beginning Jan. 21, according to reporting from the Star Advertiser.

The nurses voted to authorize a strike on Jan. 5, reported the Star Advertiser. Their union, the Hawaii Nurses Association, and the hospital have been negotiating new labor contract terms since mid-September.

Nearly 800 Montefiore nurses in New York's Lower Hudson Valley have authorized a strike, according to a release from their union.

The nurses, who work at Montefiore Nyack, New Rochelle and Mount Vernon Hospitals, have been in contract negotiations with hospital management since August. However, the union says the parties have yet to agree to new labor contract terms.

The nurses' contracts expire Dec. 31.The union has not set a date for a possible strike should the current contracts expire without an agreement.

Nurses at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett in Washington announced a tentative contract agreement with hospital management on Dec. 1 following a five-day strike in November, according to their union, UFCW 3000.

The proposed contract features staffing protections for Providence's nearly 1,400 registered nurses, including binding mediation for "unresolved chronic staffing issues" and a premium for registered nurses when units are under-staffed.

The staffing protections are the first of their kind in the state, according to the union.Union members will vote to ratify the agreement on Dec. 15.

About 2,000 union nurses at Ascension hospitals in Texas and Kansas will hold a one-day strike on Dec. 6, according to a statement from the National Nurses Organizing Committee within union National Nurses United.

The strike will occur at Seton Medical Center Austin in Texas. Two more strikes will be held at Christi St. Joseph Hospital and Christi St. Francis Hospital in Kansas.

Ascension announced it will bar striking nurses from work for three days following the walkout, arguing it must meet contract commitments for temporary nursing staff. 

Contract negotiations have been ongoing since late 2022 in Austin and early 2023 in Kansas. The union previously held a one-day strike at the same facilities in June.

About 530 nurses represented by the Illinois Nurses Association will begin a two-day strike on Tuesday at Ascension St. Joseph in Joliet, Illinois to protest what they describe as low pay and poor safety conditions.

It's the second strike at the facility in three months. In August, the nurses took to the picket line for two days.The nurses have been without a contract since July 19 as employment negotiations continue, according to the union.

The hospital expressed disappointment with the nurses' decision to strike, saying in a statement that parties had recently made progress with a federal mediator.

The hospital will rely on contract nurses until Saturday, locking out striking nurses for two days following the work stoppage in order to meet the temporary nurses’ minimum contract requirements, according to the hospital.

Nurses and medical professionals at three HCA Healthcare sites in Southern California will begin a five-day strike on Nov. 22, according to a release from their union, SEIU Local 121RN. The union represents more than 2,400 workers across the three sites, according to a news release.

Labor and management have been negotiating new employee contracts since May. The union alleges HCA has failed to respond to workers’ concerns, including allegations that units are often staffed below state-required nurse-to-patient ratios.

Workers at Los Robles Regional Medical Center, West Hills Hospital and Riverside Community Hospital will participate in the strike.

Kaiser Permanente Washington and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW healthcare workers reached a tentative contract agreement on Monday, averting a potential strike of 3,000 workers that was set to begin Nov. 1.

The parties had been in contract negotiations since June and a tentative agreement was reached one day shy of the current contract's expiration date.  

If ratified by members, the tentative agreement will create a four-year contract for Kaiser’s Washington healthcare workers that includes competitive wages. The union said the deal complements the contract negotiated by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions earlier this month.

Kaiser Permanente imaging services workers will begin an 18-day strike at facilities in Oregon and Washington on Nov. 1, according to a statement from their union UFCW 555. The workers will join UFCW 555 pharmacy workers, who have been on the picket line since Oct. 1. In total, approximately 1,000 pharmacy and imaging workers will strike, said union spokesperson Miles Eshaia.

The employees were previously represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which successfully negotiated a historic contract with Kaiser earlier this month to achieve a 21% increase in pay for workers over the next four years. UFCW 555 left national negotiations in September, opting to bargain with the healthcare giant locally to achieve wage increases and increased staffing, according to the union.

Approximately 1,400 healthcare workers and tech caregivers began an open-ended strike on Monday morning at PeaceHealth Southwest and PeaceHealth St. John in Vancouver and Longview, Washington, according to a statement from the health system.

The Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, which represents the workers, issued a strike notice on Oct. 13.  In a statement, the union said workers authorized the strike by a 95% margin, citing stalled negotiations, critically short staffing levels, low wages and management’s bad faith bargaining as the cause.

PeaceHealth said it has has contracted with an agency to provide temporary replacement caregivers during the strike. The health system has threatened to cut striking workers' healthcare benefits should the strike continue into November, the union alleges. The health system confirmed this information, noting that striking workers will be eligible for continued coverage through The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. 

Approximately 700 frontline healthcare workers began a five-day strike on Monday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, according to a statement from their union, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.

The union said workers authorized the strike following months of contract negotiations centered around understaffing, turnover and patient care concerns. The hospital said in a statement it has contracted temporary workers to replace the striking employees and the work stoppage will have no impact on patient care.

Over 1,200 nurses at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have voted to authorize a potential strike, according to a post on Wednesday by the nurses' union SEIU Pennsylvania on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The nurses will hold a rally on Oct. 24 in support of contract negotiations, in which the union says it is demanding "significant investments" in nurse pay and staffing.

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions issued notice to the healthcare system that they may hold a second unfair labor practice strike beginning Nov. 1 if parties cannot agree to a new labor contract prior to that date, a Kaiser spokesperson confirmed on Monday.

More than 75,000 coalition workers held a three-day strike from Oct. 4 through Oct. 6 at facilities across California, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington DC. The strike broke records and was the largest in the history of the healthcare industry. A second strike could include 3,000 more Seattle-based Kaiser employees, whose contracts expire on Oct. 31. A potential strike would last for eight days, according to the coalition.

The parties will meet at the bargaining table on Thursday and Friday this week in efforts to hash out a contract. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su will be present at negotiations.

Approximately 1,500 healthcare workers began a five-day strike at St. Francis Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday, according to a statement from unions UNAC/UHCP and SEIU-UHW.  About 900 SEU-UHW health care workers are striking three other Prime Healthcare-owned hospitals at the same time: Centinela, Encino, and Garden Grove. The unions said in a statement that they are protesting "dangerous short staffing and patient care practices, along with unfair labor practices such as bad faith bargaining, threats and attacks on workers' rights." The nurses have filed over 6,000 staffing objection forms with California’s Department of Public Health since June of this year, according to the unions.

St. Francis's hospital and emergency departments will remain open during the strike, according to the hospital's website.

On Sept. 19, nurses represented by United Steel Workers 4-200 voted to reject both of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital's proposals offered to end the strike, which has now been ongoing for 48 days, according to a statement from hospital spokesperson Wendy Gottsegen. On Sep. 18, a New Jersey Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order against the union barring them from blocking entrances and exits to parking decks at RWJUH.

The nurses first walked off the job on Aug. 4, citing staffing levels and pay as primary concerns. Since that time, elected officials including Gov. Phil Murphy and Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J. have weighed in, calling for parties to reach an agreement. No additional bargaining sessions are scheduled with the federal mediator at this time, according to the hospital

About 530 nurses represented by the Illinois Nurses Association took to the picket line on Tuesday to protest what they say is low pay and poor safety conditions at Ascension St. Joseph, the only hospital in Joliet, Illinois. The nurses have been without a contract since July 19 as employment negotiations continue.

The hospital will rely on contract nurses until Saturday, locking out striking nurses for two days following the strike in order to meet the temporary nurses’ minimum contract requirements. The hospital and nurses plan to return to the bargaining table on September 8, reports ABC 7 Chicago.

More than 800 nurses at Rochester Regional Health plan to begin a two-day strike at New York-based Rochester General Hospital on August 3, according to a statement from their union, the Union of Nurses and Allied Professionals, shared publicly on Facebook last week. 

Over 90% of the 900 unionized registered nurses voted to authorize a strike on July 20. The union said in a statement that they have been negotiating with hospital management over new contract terms since October. Thus far, union leaders told TV station WXXI, the hospital has not adequately addressed staffing levels and unsafe working conditions. 

There are two bagaining sessions scheduled, reports Becker’s, and the hospital said it will attempt to secure additional session dates. 

On July 11, members of the SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West will begin to picket at 12 Tenet Healthcare facilities across California, according to statements released by the union last week. 

The picket centers around calls for additional staffing — 85% of healthcare workers surveyed by the union reported their departments were understaffed and 67% reported short staffing led to care being delayed.

Maria Leal, a union spokesperson, told Becker’s Hospital Review that the union represents about 2,684 workers at the Tenet facilities and that it has scheduled four bargaining sessions for August. 

About 2,000 union nurses at Texas-based Seton Medical Center Austin and Kansas-based Christi St. Joseph Hospital and Christi St. Francis Hospital will hold a one-day strike on June 27, according to a statement from the National Nurses Organizing Committee within National Nurses United. The nurses are organizing in protest of staffing practices.

Over the first two weeks of June, over 90% of union nurses at the three Ascension hospitals voted to authorize the strike, which will be the largest nurse strike in Kansas and Texas history, according to the NNU.

Ascension responded to news of the strike by barring striking nurses from work for three days following the walkout, saying in a statement that the hospital is, “contractually required to commit to a minimum of four days of work” for temporary nurses. The union reports members are undeterred. 

On June 19, about 1,800 Providence nurses and clinicians at Providence Home Health Portland, Providence Home Health Seaside and Providence Hospice Portland began a five-day strike to demand better working conditions, sick leave, pay and benefits. The strike will force the Oregon health system to bring in 475 temporary staff and to reschedule non-emergency surgeries in order to continue care for daily patients, according to statements from the hospital system.

The demonstration comes at month eight of contract negotiations. In an update, The Oregon Nurses Association said members demonstrated “near unanimous support” when calling for the strike on June 4. In response to the announcement, Providence canceled remaining negotiation sessions.  

Hospital administrators anticipate longer wait times for care during the strike and urge non-emergency patients to seek care elsewhere.

On June 7, nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in New York City voted to ratify new contracts, averting a strike set for June 12. The three-year contract includes wage increases of 5% to 7% with full retroactive pay, according to the union, the New York State Nurses Association.

In May, more than 99% of nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian voted to authorize a strike after employee contracts expired in April. The nurses opposed proposed staff and wage cuts.

In a statement, NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Manhattan location helped set the standard for Brooklyn Methodist’s successful negotiation, saying the previous settlement: “paved the way for similar agreements at other NYC hospitals.”

In January, nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Manhattan location were part of a mass coalition of about 16,000 nurses across eight hospitals in New York that voted to authorize strikes.

Approximately 3,000 healthcare workers at five HCA Healthcare facilities in California voted on May 12 to authorize a five-day strike beginning May 22, according to an announcement from the union that represents them, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.

The union cites low-wages, short-staffing and worker safety concerns as reasons for the walkout. 

The affected hospitals include HCA Good Samaritan Hospital and HCA Regional Medical Center in San Jose, HCA Los Robles Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, HCA West Hills Hospital, and HCA Riverside Community Hospital.

About 600 nurses at PIH Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles are planning a one-day strike May 11 to bring notice to staffing issues and patient safety, according to the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United. The hospital responded by saying it will implement a four-day lockout for the nurses, according to the union. Last year, a federal judge ruled that the hospital previously bargained in bad faith with the union and ordered the facility to resume bargaining with nurses.

Nearly 500 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente’s Maui Health System in Hawaii are back on the job after nearly two months on strike. Members of the union voted in 87% in favor of a new contract the includes pay-scale adjustments, at least a 10.5% wage increase for all members and a lump sum payment for all members.

Those on the picket line included nurse aides, respiratory therapists, cooks and other staff at three facilities: Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital.

The workers had been in negotiations over new contract terms with the system for nearly 11 months, and had been working under a contract extension since June 30. They started the strike on Feb. 22.

About 600 registered nurses at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae, California, announced plans to wage a one-day strike March 28, according to a release from the California Nurses Association, which represents them.

The nurses and hospital have been in negotiations for new contract terms since June, with nurses pushing for language to bolster staffing and the recruitment and retention of nurses amid nationwide staffing shortages, according to the release.

The nurses and hospital reached a tentative agreement averting the strike on March 21, according to a release from the union.

The deal includes staffing language allowing for additional breaks and 16.5% pay raises over the course of the three-year contract.

About 700 healthcare workers at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, California, planned to wage a one-day strike on March 20.

Patient care attendants, technicians and other support staff plan to walk off the job as they negotiate new contract terms with the system, and want higher wages addressed in new agreements, according to the union that represents them.

The workers walked off the job March 20 and returned to work the following day without reaching a deal on new contracts with the system.

Nearly 800 nurses at Northwell Health’s South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, voted in favor of authorizing a strike as lengthy contract negotiations continue, according to a Feb. 3 release from the New York State Nurses Association.

The nurses’ contract expired nearly a year ago, and in new agreements they want better staffing and more manageable workloads, according to the release.

The nurses announced they plan to strike beginning Feb. 27 with no set end date, according to a release from the union.

The nurses and hospital reached a tentative agreement averting the strike, according to a Feb. 23 release from the union.

The deal includes language to enforce staffing standards and pay raises, including experience-based pay to better retain nurses, the release said.

About 16,000 nurses across eight hospitals in New York voted in favor of authorizing a strike, according to a Dec. 30 release from the New York State Nurses Association. Nurses contracts expired the next day, and they delivered a 10-day notice to the hospitals that they intend to strike starting Jan. 9 without a set end date.

The nurses work at BronxCare Health System, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, Montefiore Bronx, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West and Richmond University Medical Center.

About 4,000 nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital also had planned to strike, though they reached a tentative agreement with the hospital a day after delivering notice of their plans to walk off the job.

The nurses want new contracts ensuring adequate staffing and support for staff directly caring for patients, and improvements to stem widespread turnover and burnout facing many systems today, the union said in a release.

On Jan. 4, nurses at Maimonides and Richmond University medical centers reached tentative agreements with the systems, averting strikes at those facilities.

Nurses at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Mount Sinai Morningside and West and Bronx Care Health System also reached deals averting strikes.

About 7,000 nurses at Mount Sinai Hospital and Montefiore Bronx were unable to reach deals with the systems, and began striking Jan. 9.

On the first day of the walkout, those at Montefiore continued bargaining with the hospital to try and reach a tentative agreement while negotiations did not take place at Mount Sinai, according to the union.

On the third day of the strike, nurses at Montefiore Bronx and Mount Sinai reached deals with the hospitals on new contracts, and they returned to work the following day.

Those nurses then voted in favor of ratifying the deals, according to a Jan. 24 release from the union.

Some 15,0000 nurses in Minnesota voted to authorize a strike Aug.15, according to the Minnesota Nurses Association, which represents them.

The nurses work at 15 hospitals across the state owned by seven different health systems: M Health Fairview, Essentia Health, HealthPartners, Allina Health, Children’s Hospital, North Memorial and St. Luke’s.

The nurses and systems have been in negotiations for new contracts since March, and nurses want measures in new contracts to help remedy staffing shortages and retention concerns.

They’re also highlighting the nonprofit status of their hospitals with an advertising campaign in a bid to “put patient care before profits,” according to the union.

Only two hospitals in Minnesota are for-profit, while the rest are nonprofit or community-owned, according to the state’s hospital association.

On Sept. 1, nurses announced they planned to wage their three-day walkout starting Sept. 12, according to a Twitter post from the union.

The two sides did not reach an agreement and nurses walked off the job Sept. 12.

After waging their three-day strike, the nurses returned to work Sept. 16 without reaching a deal on new contracts with the health systems.

The nurses announced plans to hold a vote authorizing another strike on Nov. 30.

Nurses at two other hospitals in the region — St. Luke’s Lake View Hospital and Essentia’s Moose Lake Hospital — will join the vote, according to the union.

The nurses voted in favor of authorizing another strike, according to a Dec. 1 union release.

They plan to strike beginning Dec. 11. At hospitals in the Twin Cities and at Essentia, they plan to strike until Dec. 31. Nurses at St. Luke’s and Lake View hospitals will strike with no set end date.

The nurses and health systems reached tentative agreements Dec. 6, averting the strike.

Only nurses at one facility, Lake View Hospital, were unable to reach an agreement, though they withdrew their strike notice and agreed to continue bargaining with the system.

Nurses won pay raises amounting to 18% in the Twin Cities and 17% in the Twin Ports over the course of the three-year contracts.

Staffing language in new contracts varies by system, including terms to prevent staffing reductions without consensus between nurses and hospital management, and conditions to protect nurses from discipline when they raise concerns about unsafe assignments, according to the union.

More than 20,000 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities in Northern California voted in favor of authorizing a two-day strike from Nov. 21 to 22, according to a release from the California Nurses Association, the union representing them.

Those planning to strike include nurses and nurse practitioners at 21 Kaiser facilities in the region. They have been in negotiations for new contracts with the system since June, and want measures to improve staffing levels and boost hiring amid ongoing shortages, the union said in a release.

On Nov. 17, the nurses and system reached a tentative agreement, averting the strike. New contracts will include workplace violence prevention measures, pay raises and the addition of more than 2,000 new registered nurse and nurse practitioner roles, according to a union release.

The workers voted in favor of ratifying the deal, according to a Dec. 5 union release.

Over 800 registered nurses, pharmacists, social workers, laboratory technicians and other healthcare staff at Tenet’s Fountain Valley Hospital in Southern California voted in favor of authorizing a strike Friday, according to a release from the National Union of Healthcare Workers.

The hospital and workers have been negotiating over new contract terms since June. Those planning to strike want new work agreements addressing staffing shortages and safety issues, namely regarding adequate medical equipment.

Hospital workers filed 158 complaints to California’s Department of Public Health from June to August, alleging violations of nurse-to-patient ratios, broken equipment and other safety issues, according to NUHW.

The union still needs to set a strike date, and said it has not yet determined a planned duration for the potential work stoppage.

The two sides reached a deal before the workers set a strike date, according to a Dec. 2 union release.

Workers voted to ratify new contracts that included 16% to 41% increases in starting wage rates, according to the union. The deal also included cost of living raises amounting to 17% for the average worker over the course of the three-year contract.

Registered nurses at Kaiser Permanente’s Los Angeles Medical Center voted in favor of authorizing a two-day strike from Nov. 21 to 22, according to a release from the California Nurses Association, the union representing them.

About 1,200 nurses plan to strike over nurse recruitment and patient assignment concerns they want addressed in new contracts, the release said. They’ve been in negotiations for new contracts with the system since September.

On Nov. 17, the nurses and system reached a tentative agreement, averting the strike, according to a union release.

Over 2,000 nurses and other healthcare workers at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia voted in favor of authorizing a strike Oct. 13 after failing to reach a deal on new contracts.

The workers want measures in new contracts to improve staffing and the retention, along with terms to prevent workplace violence.

The nurses are represented by Temple University Hospital Nurses Association, while the other healthcare workers are represented by Temple Allied Professionals — both affiliates of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals.

The healthcare workers will need to give 10-day notice to the hospital before waging the strike.

The two sides reached a deal Nov. 7, averting the strike.

New contracts include enforceable staffing guidelines that are equivalent to nurse-to-patient ratios, according to the union. Other union wins include raises, though the union did not disclose exact amounts, and enhanced security to prevent workplace violence.

More than 2,000 mental health clinicians at Kaiser Permanente facilities in Northern California said they plan to start an open-ended strike Aug. 15, according to a release from the union representing them, the National Union of Healthcare Workers.

Those planning to strike include psychologists, therapists, chemical dependency counselors and social workers who want increased staffing for behavioral health services and more manageable caseloads to provide adequate care in new contracts, according to the union.

The two sides have been in negotiations for new contracts for over a year and were near an agreement, according to an email statement from Kaiser.

During bargaining sessions in the days leading up to the strike date, clinicians accepted a wage offer from Kaiser, though were unable to get provisions around staffing and wait times they sought, according to the union.

Those workers began their strike Aug. 15, with no set end date.

On Aug. 29, about 50 mental health clinicians at Kaiser facilities in Hawaii also joined the strike, calling for the system to address access-to-care issues.

After 10 weeks on strike, Kaiser and the mental health clinicians in California reached a tentative agreement on new contract terms, ending the work stoppage Oct. 18. The deal does not cover staff in Hawaii, who are still on strike.

Workers held a two-day vote and ratified the agreement Oct. 21. New contracts include economic gains mostly unchanged from proposals made prior to the strike, but staff did nab some terms to make their workloads more manageable, according to the union.

More than 6,300 healthcare workers at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, New York, could go on strike after voting in favor of authorizing a work stoppage Sept. 15.

Those who would strike include staff at Kaleida Health’s Buffalo General Medical Center, Oishei Children’s Hospital, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, HighPointe on Michigan, DeGraff Medical Park and various community-based clinics, according to a union release.

Staff within the nursing, clinical, technical, service and clerical departments have extended their contracts twice following months of bargaining without reaching an agreement on new contracts with the system, according to the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168 and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which represent the workers.

Staffing is a key point of contention. Under New York’s new staffing law, management and staff set staffing plans for each unit, but issues recruiting enough new nurses and filling vacancies pose a challenge in meeting those requirements, according to a union release.

Workers want new contracts that enable the system to better recruit and retain staff to meet new ratios, according to the union.

Before the union set a strike date, the two sides reached an agreement on new contract terms and the healthcare workers voted to ratify it Oct. 13, according to a union release.

Wins for workers in new contracts include the addition of 500 full-time equivalent positions, both clinical and non-clinical, and greater incentives for picking up open shifts, including an automatic bonus for picking up weekend shifts.

Over the course of the three-year contract, union members will also receive a compounded 12% minimum wage increase, and pension increases based on years of service, according to the union.

Union workers also won two additional paid holidays under new contracts: Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth.

About 1,400 healthcare workers at six KPC facilities across Southern California voted in favor of authorizing a strike while negotiating new contracts with the system.

They planned to wage a five-day strike at the for-profit system starting Sept. 26, though the two sides reached an agreement the day prior, according to a release from Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers West, which represents the workers.

New agreements significantly raise wages and address workers’ concerns around chronic short staffing and high turnover — key issues that led those workers to plan waging their strike, according to the union.

New contracts will cover a variety of job classes, including respiratory therapists, licensed vocational nurses, certified nursing assistants, radiology technologists, food service workers, operating room and emergency room technicians, unit secretaries, transporters and admitting clerks, according to the release.

Those employees work at six KPC facilities: Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville, Anaheim Global Medical Center, Chapman Global Medical Center, South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, Hemet Global Medical Center and Menifee Valley Medical Center.

About 4,000 nurses at the University of Michigan voted in favor of authorizing a strike Sept. 2 while bargaining for new contracts with the system.

Nurses’ contracts expired July 1 and in new contracts they want measures including language outlining the number of patients assigned per nurse, according to a release from the union representing them, the Michigan Nurses Association.

On Sept. 22, the nurses and system reached a tentative agreement on new contracts, effectively averting the strike, according to a release from the union.

The agreement includes an end to mandatory overtime, improved mechanisms for enforcing contractual workload ratios and competitive wages to boost recruitment and retainment efforts, the release said.

Nurses still have to vote to ratify the new terms.

Hundreds of nurses at the University of Wisconsin voted in favor of authorizing a three-day strike in a bid to gain union recognition and the ability to engage in collective bargaining with the system, according to a release from SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin.

A 2011 state law bans collective bargaining for public workers with the exception of cost-of-living raises, and when a 2014 contract covering about 2,000 UW healthcare workers represented by Service Employees International Union expired in 2014, they lost union recognition, according to reporting from Wisconsin Public Radio.

The state’s attorney general in June said that hospital administrators can voluntarily engage in collective bargaining with employees. Nurses want the ability to bargain for new contracts that would include measures to improve staffing, turnover and other pandemic-driven challenges, according to the release.

If recognized, the union would have about 2,600 UW nurse members.

Nurses gave official notice Sept. 2 that they intend to strike Sept. 13 through Sept. 16, according to a union release.

The nurses and health system met with Gov. Tony Evers in the days leading up to the planned strike and agreed to instead pursue an analysis from the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission to determine whether the system has to recognize their union, effectively averting the strike, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

A thousand nurses at Kaiser Permanente’s Los Angeles Medical Center voted to authorize a strike in June while negotiating new contracts with the system. Those nurses, represented by the California Nurses Association, want measures in new contracts that ensure they have adequate supplies and ancillary staff.

Nurses waged their one-day strike on June 23. The two sides have not yet reached a deal on new contracts. The hospital and nurses have been in negotiations since September 2021.

About 3,000 registered nurses and other healthcare workers at Palomar Medical Center Escondido and Palomar Medical Center Poway in San Diego voted to authorize a strike on June 8.

The nurses, represented by the California Nurses Association, and the system, had been negotiating new contract terms for 14 months, and were unable to reach an agreement on language around staffing and recruitment and retention efforts, among other items, according to the union.

Nurses gave notice on June 13 that they planned to strike for one day on June 23. They reached a tentative agreement with the system June 21, averting the strike.

Those nurses voted to ratify three-year contracts, which include wage increases to better help recruit and retain staff, the hiring of more break nurses to allow others to rest and other staffing improvements focused on safety, according to the union.

Over 1,000 physician residents and interns at Los Angeles County Hospitals voted to authorize a strike on May 31. Those workers, represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents, a local of the Service Employees International Union, sought better wages amid rising inflation and high costs of living in the region.

On June 2, they notified the county they intended to strike from June 13 to June 15. The two sides reached a tentative agreement June 5 and the strike was averted.

The deal included salary and benefit proposals in line with resident demands, according to the union.

Hundreds of certified nursing assistants, technicians, environmental service and food service workers at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles voted to authorize a five-day strike on April 9, in a bid to get measures in new contracts that address what they said is inadequate staffing, patient and worker safety concerns and low wages amid high inflation.

On May 9, those workers represented by Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers West began their strike, and they returned to work afterward without reaching a deal with the system.

The two sides reached an agreement and nurses ratified a three-year contract May 27 that increases the minimum wage to $21 per hour by 2024, and includes average raises of more than 17% at the end of the contract, along with other wins for the union, according to a union release.

About 5,000 nurses represented by the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement voted to authorize a strike on April 8 at Stanford Healthcare and Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Northern California when they were unable to reach an agreement with the system on new employment contracts. Nurses wanted better staffing policies and higher wages to keep up with inflation and to help retain and recruit more staff.

On April 25, nurses waged their strike with no set end date. They reached a deal with the system about a week later and returned to work May 3.

New contracts include measures ensuring staffing is based on acuity, and nurses in units with high-acuity patients — which have been difficult to staff — will receive additional pay.

The deal also includes a 7% wage increase in the first year of the contract, followed by two 5% increases in the second and third years, and an additional week of paid vacation time, among other provisions.