More than 3,000 workers with the United Food and Commercial Workers union in Southern California said Thursday that they would join a “second wave” strike against Kaiser Permanente.

UFCW said Thursday that members voted to give Kaiser a 10-day notification of an unfair labor practice strike beginning Feb. 9. The lab and pharmacy employees with the UFCW locals postponed a previously announced strike scheduled for Feb. 3, according to UFCW Local 770 spokeswoman Heather Rutman.

Rutman could not say how long their strike would last.

The UFCW locals include 135 (San Diego County), 324 (Orange County and part of Los Angeles), 770 (Los Angeles, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties), 1167 (Inland Empire), 1422 (west side of Los Angeles) and 1428 (east Los Angeles and San Bernardino County)  in Southern California.

The UFCW locals represent Kaiser employees who work as pharmacy assistants, pharmacy technicians, clinical lab scientists, medical lab technicians and clinical and administrative workers at Southern California medical facilities.

The United Nurses Association of California / Union of Health Care Professionals, or UNAC/UHCP strike started Monday, Jan. 26 and is open-ended, keeping 31,000 registered nurses and staff in California and Hawaii off their jobs until the healthcare giant and the union alliance reach a tentative contract agreement.

UNAC/UHCP staff are picketing more than two dozen hospitals and 200 clinics from San Diego to Los Angeles, Oakland and Honolulu.

The contract covering UFCW pharmacy employees in the region expired Nov. 1, 2025. The contract covering UFCW clinical and medical laboratory specialists expires Feb. 1.

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Kaiser spokesman Terry Kanakri could not immediately comment on the UFCW announcement.

Kaiser and the UNAC/UHCP are negotiating to replace a five-year contract that expired Sept. 30. The union is striking for higher wages and benefits and hiring more employees to fill staffing shortages. It initially sought a 38% pay hike over four years and is now seeking a 25% raise. Kaiser has offered a 21.5% pay hike over four years.

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