Protests come as bargaining begins on new union contract

Nurses at Kaiser Permanente facilities across the state of California will hold informational pickets on Sept. 1 to protest the Kaiser management’s refusal to address RNs’ deep concerns about safe staffing and AI protections. More than 25,000 nurses working for Kaiser are represented by California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). 

Kaiser nurses are in the early stages of negotiations on a new union contract and want the public to understand their key issues. The RNs urge management to invest in nursing staff and agree to a contract that provides protections against untested and unregulated implementations of artificial intelligence technologies, all in order to prioritize patients over Kaiser’s billions of dollars in income, investments, and reserves.

Who: Registered nurses at 22 Kaiser facilities
What: Informational pickets for safe staffing, AI protections
When and Where: Tuesday, Sept. 1, full list of times and locations below

“High-quality patient care starts with safe staffing on every unit on every shift at every facility,” said Michelle Gutierrez-Vo, RN in the Adult and Family Medicine Department at Kaiser Fremont Medical Center. “Across its network, Kaiser is constantly trying to cut staff. That’s unacceptable for us as nurses, and it endangers our patients and their care.”

“We want Kaiser to understand that our position is simple,” said Deb Capistrano, RN in the Telemetry Department at Kaiser San Francisco Medical Center. “New technology must be tested, regulated, and include us in the conversation about its implementation. Anything less threatens our practice as nurses and our patients’ health.

Representing more than 25,000 nurses at 22 Kaiser facilities across the Golden State, CNA has more than 100,000 members statewide and is an affiliate of NNU, the country’s largest nurses union, which represents more than 225,000 nurses nationwide.

Locations and times for Sept. 1 pickets (alphabetical by location)

Antioch Medical Center
4501 Sand Creek Rd., Antioch, Calif.
8 to 10 a.m.

Fremont Medical Center
39400 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont, Calif.
6:45 to 8:45 a.m.

Fresno Medical Center
7300 N. Fresno St., Fresno, Calif.
7:45 to 9:45 a.m.

Los Angeles Medical Center
4867 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.
7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Manteca Medical Center
1777 W. Yosemite Ave., Manteca, Calif.
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Modesto Medical Center
4601 Dale Rd., Modesto, Calif.
8 to 10 a.m.

Oakland Medical Center
3600 Broadway, Oakland, Calif.
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Redwood City Medical Center
1100 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City, Calif.
2:15 to 4:15 p.m.

Richmond Medical Center
901 Nevin Ave., Richmond, Calif.
1 to 3 p.m.

Roseville Medical Center
1600 Eureka Rd., Roseville, Calif.
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Sacramento Medical Center
2025 Morse Ave., Sacramento, Calif.
7:15 to 9:15 a.m.

San Francisco Medical Center
2425 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, Calif.
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

San Jose Medical Center
250 Hospital Pkwy., San Jose, Calif.
3:30 to 5:30 pm.

San Leandro Medical Center
2500 Merced St., San Leandro, Calif.
2 to 5 p.m.

San Rafael Medical Center
99 Montecillo Rd., San Rafael, Calif.
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Santa Clara Medical Center
700 Lawrence Expy., Santa Clara, Calif.
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Santa Rosa Medical Center
401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa, Calif.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

South Sacramento Medical Center
6600 Bruceville Rd., Sacramento, Calif.
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

South San Francisco
1200 El Camino Real, South San Francisco, Calif.
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Vacaville Medical Center
1 Quality Dr., Vacaville, Calif.
8 to 10 a.m.

Vallejo Medical Center
975 Sereno Dr., Vallejo, Calif.
7:45 to 9:45 a.m.

Walnut Creek Medical Center
1425 S. Main St., Walnut Creek, Calif.
2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.