Over 1,900 Kaiser Permanente workers begin 5-day strike on four Hawaiian islands

HONOLULU, HI – As of 6:30 a.m., over 1,900 Kaiser Permanente workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 5 (Local 5) are on a limited-duration 5-day strike until Sunday, October 19 at 7 a.m. More than 45,000 Kaiser workers in California, Oregon, and Washington state are also on strike as part of the Alliance of Healthcare Unions. The strike impacts 20 Kaiser locations on O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i Island, and includes medical assistants, hospital aides, lab assistants, dietary specialists, housekeepers, and more. Contract negotiations on the local level began in April between Kaiser and Local 5. Key priorities for workers include wage increases that keep up with the cost of living and safe staffing that protects the physical and mental health of workers, while ensuring quality patient care.

Hawai‘i unions deliver 10-Day strike notice to Kaiser Permanente, thousands of Hawai‘i healthcare workers set to strike

HONOLULU,HI–Over 2,000 Kaiser Permanente workers in Hawai‘i represented by UNITE HERE Local 5 (Local 5) and Hawaii Nurses and Healthcare Professionals (HNHP) have voted to authorize a strike. Local 5 members voted 97% “Yes” to authorizing a strike and HNHP members from three bargaining units voted 89% giving union leadership the ability to call a strike if necessary after contracts expire on September 30. Key priorities for workers include safe staffing that protects workers’ wellbeing and quality patient care and fair wage increases. In Hawai‘i workers in some classifications are paid up to 30% less than their counterparts on the continent and do not receive the same benefits.

Thousands of Hawai‘i Kaiser Permanente workers authorize strike across four islands

HONOLULU,HI–Over 2,000 Kaiser Permanente workers in Hawai‘i represented by UNITE HERE Local 5 (Local 5) and Hawaii Nurses and Healthcare Professionals (HNHP) have voted to authorize a strike. Local 5 members voted 97% “Yes” to authorizing a strike and HNHP members from three bargaining units voted 89% giving union leadership the ability to call a strike if necessary after contracts expire on September 30. Key priorities for workers include safe staffing that protects workers’ wellbeing and quality patient care and fair wage increases. In Hawai‘i workers in some classifications are paid up to 30% less than their counterparts on the continent and do not receive the same benefits.

2024 Labor Day Strike Recap

Local 5 mobilized more members across Waikiki and Kauai in our largest strike since 1990. Even when our employers did everything they could to divide us, workers stepped up and stayed united.