"Because I work in labor and delivery, this contract will help increase safety in my unit significantly because my charge nurse will no longer have to take on additional patients,” said Elisabeth Cochran, a registered nurse at Kaiser San Diego Medical Center. “The charge nurse can be compared to air traffic control for the unit. It is unsafe when they have to manage that role while also watching your laboring patients while you are on break. This new contract means there will be someone present and dedicated to giving breaks to the nurses on the floor, which improves safety for both staff and patients."
“This agreement reflects everything our members stood up and stood together for: safe staffing, improved access, and respect for the professionals who provide critical care every day,” said Charmaine Morales, a registered nurse and president of UNAC/UHCP (AFSCME). “This fight was always about our patients and the public good, and we’ve made meaningful progress to ensure caregivers have the time and resources necessary to deliver safe, high-quality care.”
The contracts are effective upon ratification and will expire on Sept. 30, 2029. Contract negotiations began in March 2025. From the outset, UNAC/UHCP members made it clear to management that they would reject contract offers that lacked major guarantees for safe staffing, patient access, patient safety, and the ability for health care professionals to provide an appropriate standard of care.
UNAC/UHCP members’ unity and commitment to the health and welfare of patients and their communities never wavered even during strikes. Last September, professionals fighting to win their first contracts struck for one day in Northern California. A total of 31,000 nurses and health care professionals struck for five days in October.
Then UNAC/UHCP members walked off the job in January and remained on the picket lines for nearly a month — the largest open-ended nurses and health care professionals strike in U.S. history.
When caregivers have a voice, patients are better off. Because of UNAC/UHCP members, Kaiser patients will benefit from more time, better access, stronger communication, and higher quality care.
The commitment of the caregivers doesn’t end with contract ratification. The fight to hold the employer accountable for its commitments will be ongoing.
“This is an important step forward, but the work doesn’t stop here,” said Peter Sidhu, a registered nurse and executive vice president of UNAC/UHCP. “We’ll be vigilant — documenting ratio violations, escalating unsafe staffing gaps, and using every tool our new contracts provide to protect our patients.”
