Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente must pay back wages to more than 1,000 registered nurses in California after an arbitration ruling, according to an Oct. 5 news release from the California Nurses Association.
Four things to know:
1. The union, which represents more than 25,000 nurses at 22 Kaiser facilities in the state, said the ruling requires Kaiser to pay wages dating to at least 2021. The CNA estimates the total could reach tens of millions of dollars, according to the release.
2. According to the union, nurses first flagged pay issues several years ago, following a change to Kaiser’s payroll system in early 2021. Because the CNA does not have direct access to the system, the union said it took years for nurses to determine the full scope of the underpayments.
“They changed their payroll system, messed it up, and let the mistake steal millions of dollars from nurses,” Michelle Gutierrez Vo, RN, a president of the CNA and a nurse at Kaiser Fremont (Calif.) Medical Center, said in the release. “When we called them on it, their fancy lawyers fought us tooth and nail for every single dollar.”
3. Kaiser Permanente does not agree with the union’s characterization of the matter but respects the arbitrator’s decision and will honor its obligations under it, a health system spokesperson said in an Oct. 5 statement shared with Becker’s.
“It was important that this dispute be addressed through the process outlined in our collective bargaining agreement,” the spokesperson said. “Our nurses are among the most skilled and dedicated in the country, and we are committed to ensuring every one of them is paid accurately and in full accordance with their contract.”
The spokesperson said Kaiser will reach out directly and promptly to every affected nurse.
4. The CNA is in contract negotiations with Kaiser. Nurses held informational pickets earlier in 2026 over the pay issue and other bargaining priorities.
“We remain committed to continuing to bargain in good faith toward a new agreement that benefits our employees, our patients, and supports our mission,” the Kaiser spokesperson said.
