14 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G J U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 6
NEWS BRIEFS
CALIFORNIA
R
egistered nurses from the
Kaiser Permanente and Sutter
Health systems held a joint protest
on Sept. 16 to rally for strong con-
tracts 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 informa-
tional 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 Cal-
ifornia, most notably acquiring Allina
Health in Minnesota.
"It's clear to us as nurses that both Kaiser
and Sutter are very worried about expand-
ing 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 con-
tracts have helped turn our hospitals into
some of the best in the country, and we're
fighting for safe staffing and A.I. protec-
tions 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 facili-
ties 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.
—Lucy Diavolo
35,000 nurses in Northern and Central
California, Los Angeles head into bargaining
