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600 nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists members of the United Nurses Associations of California and Union of Health Care Professionals have given a strike notice to Kaiser management as a response to what they say are burnout and understaffing. 

Their plan is to picket the Oakland and Roseville Kaiser locations for 24 hours, starting Monday September 8.

According to the union, "the strike notice includes caregivers at Northern California Kaiser Permanente facilities from Sacramento to Fresno, and across the Bay Area. Earlier this month, the midwives and nurse anesthetists voted overwhelmingly in favor of striking."

Sanne Jacobsen, a nurse anesthetist at the Oakland and Richmond Kaiser locations and member of the bargaining team, told KRCB News she feels unity among the picketers as they negotiate, as well as frustration. 

“ It's just been pulling teeth to get any sort of movement or any sort of discussion from Kaiser at the bargaining table,” Jacobsen said.

Jacobsen said that she and her colleagues experience unsafe staffing, which is not only a risk for workers, but for patients as well.

“ It looks like having staff that's come in that's already worked 40 hours a week and that's coming in for another 12 hour shift,” Jacobsend said. “And doing that chronically to the point where people are tired, they're not at their best. They might be coming in when they're sick and there's no one to cover for them.”

She also said the unions have been trying to bargain with Kaiser for 18 months. The union members say although Kaiser is legally not required to, it has used a more collaborative interest-based bargaining approach for negotiations in the past.

“ Kaiser in Northern California is not holding up to that partnership that they've committed to,” Jacobsen said. “It's been very traditional, very just put a proposal on the table and then not budge.”

In a press statement, Kaiser Permanente says it “will continue to bargain in good faith to reach an agreement that is good for our employees.”