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35,000 nurses in Northern and Central California head into bargaining

Submitted by ADonahue on
Large group of nurses rallying, holding signs "Safe Staffing Saves Lives", "Trust Nurses Not A.I."

By Lucy Diavolo

National Nurse magazine - July | Aug | Sept 2026 Issue

Registered nurses from the Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health systems held a joint protest on Sept. 16 to rally for strong contracts to improve patient care at two of the Bay’s biggest hospital systems. With both systems combined, more than 35,000 nurses are represented by California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) in active contract negotiations.

Kaiser nurses on Aug. 25 held informational pickets at 22 facilities to demand safer staffing and protections for patients and health care workers when management attempts to implement artificial intelligence technologies. Kaiser’s footprint is expanding not only within the Bay Area, but across the country through its subsidiary Risant Health, which recently acquired Cone Health, and through its joint venture with Renown Health. 

Sutter is also buying systems outside California, most notably acquiring Allina Health in Minnesota.

“It’s clear to us as nurses that both Kaiser and Sutter are very worried about expanding their business empires throughout the country,” said Deb Capistrano, RN in telemetry at Kaiser San Francisco. “We refuse to let that expansion come at the expense of our patients. We know our contracts have helped turn our hospitals into some of the best in the country, and we’re fighting for safe staffing and A.I. protections to keep it that way.”

“We’ve had to fight Sutter in the past to invest in our communities and provide vital services for our patients,” said Jessica Fernandez, RN in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Sutter Delta Medical Center. “Which is why it’s strange to us that they seem so worried about buying new facilities across the country. We want Sutter to work with us on taking care of our patients here in California.”

CNA/NNU represents more than 25,000 registered nurses at 22 Kaiser facilities and more than 10,000 nurses at 18 Sutter facilities in bargaining in California.