Picketers gather at the Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center in October 2023. Photo by Ben Hensley

Kaiser Permanente employees are planning a one-day work stoppage on Wednesday, March 17, citing concerns over the provider’s implementation of artificial intelligence tools, a concern that Kaiser nurses fear could put their jobs at risk.

The announcement came Monday, March 16, with a news release published by National Nurses United, the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in the country.

“An injury to one of us is an injury to all of us, so nurses will be standing in solidarity with our mental health therapy colleagues as they go on strike,” said California Nurses Association President Michelle Gutierrez. “We know working people have to stand together, and we’re proud to stand alongside Kaiser therapists as they fight for meaningful, commonsense protections for our patients and for working people.”

Five Kaiser Permanente locations will be affected, including the Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center. Other centers in Oakland, Sacramento, Santa Clara and Santa Rosa will also see pickets and potential strikes.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California Senior Relations Representative Jordan Scott said the strike should not affect workflow or patient service at the provider.

“It will affect it as much as there will be activity out there,” he said. “It shouldn’t impact service delivery.”

The work stoppage is scheduled to take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Kaiser Permanente’s response aimed at quelling concerns over job replacement, with the provider clarifying its objective is to reach an agreement with National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) that honors both clinicians and allows for the inclusion and integration of technology for member support.

“NUHW and now CNA are pushing a false narrative that we want to replace our care teams with AI,” a Kaiser Permanente news release reads. “At Kaiser Permanente, AI does not replace human assessment, and it does not make care decisions. Our care teams are always at the center of decision-making with our patients.”

Kaiser Permanente noted that contract bargaining with the California Nurses Association is not currently underway, adding that “sympathy strikes,” like Wednesday’s planned event, “will not bring us closer to an agreement with NUHW or help CNA with their forthcoming bargaining.”

“It is unfair to our members and patients to disrupt their care when they need our employees to be there for them,” the release concludes.