Nurses To Picket At Major Santa Clara Hospital Network, Protesting Layoffs And A.I. In Medical Care

REDWOOD CITY, CA — Nurses at 22 Kaiser Permanente facilities throughout California have announced they will picket on Tuesday, aiming to protest what they claim are recent layoffs, wage theft, the introduction of unproven technologies and Kaiser's perceived prioritization of financial gains over patient care.

A Kaiser Permanente spokesperson told Patch the allegations are baseless.

"We refute any allegations that this picketing is about concerns of care quality and service at Kaiser Permanente. [The California Nurses Association] is simply using this day of action as an opportunity to gain visibility for their union. Kaiser Permanente meets or exceeds staffing regulations, and we consistently deliver high-quality care to our members and patients," Kerri Leedy, a Kaiser representative, told Patch.

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United represents nearly 25,000 Kaiser nurses, who are taking action.

Leedy told Patch they are not currently in contract bargaining with CNA. She said these demonstrations are not part of a work stoppage and do not impact their care delivery or operations, which will continue as normal.

Leedy said they reached an agreement on a 4-year contract with CNA in 2022 that provides their nurses with competitive wages, benefits, professional opportunities and a work environment committed to their well-being and safety.

“Kaiser has moved quickly to justify recent cuts to nurse staffing, but we won’t stand for that,” said Deb Capistrano, an RN in the telemetry unit at Kaiser San Francisco Medical Center and a member of CNA’s board of directors. “We know our patients and our communities do best when we have safe staffing in every Kaiser facility, and we won’t accept anything less, especially when we know how much money Kaiser is still taking to the bank.”

In addition to staffing cuts, the nurses are sounding the alarm about the use of artificial intelligence in patient care.

“You simply cannot replace nurses with technology like artificial intelligence,” said Michelle Gutierrez Vo, an RN in the Adult and Family Medicine Department at Kaiser Fremont Medical Center and a president of CNA. “Instead of looking to these untested technologies being pushed by corporate executives, Kaiser management should be working with us to ensure that issues like safe staffing and wage theft aren’t impacting patients and nurses.”

Kaiser Permanente is empowering nurses with state-of-the-art tools and technologies that support their mission of providing high-quality, affordable health care to best meet their members’ and patients’ needs, Leedy countered.

"We have consistently invested in and embraced technology that enables nurses to work more effectively, resulting in improved patient outcomes and nurse satisfaction, and we will continue to do so," Leedy told Patch. "At Kaiser Permanente, artificial intelligence tools don’t make medical decisions. Our physicians and care teams are always at the center of decision-making with our patients. "

Leedy said they believe that AI may be able to help their physicians and employees, enhancing members’ experience.

Here is the full list of facilities and informational picket times:
All actions taking place Tuesday, Sept. 23, and all times Pacific.

Los Angeles Medical Center
Where: 4867 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.
When: 7-9 a.m.

Sacramento Medical Center
Where: 2025 Morse Ave., Sacramento, Calif.
When: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

South Sacramento Medical Center
Where: 6600 Bruceville Rd., Sacramento, Calif.
When: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Roseville Medical Center
Where: 1600 Eureka Rd., Roseville, Calif.
When: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Vacaville Medical Center
Where: 1 Quality Dr., Vacaville, Calif.
When: 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Fresno Medical Center
Where: 7300 N. Fresno St., Fresno, Calif.
When: 7-9 a.m.

Modesto Medical Center
Where: 4601 Dale Rd., Modesto, Calif.
When: 8-10 a.m.

Manteca Medical Center
Where: 1777 W. Yosemite Ave., Manteca, Calif.
When: 8-10 a.m.

San Francisco Medical Center
Where: 2425 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, Calif.
When: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Oakland Medical Center
Where: 3600 Broadway, Oakland, Calif.
When: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

San Jose Medical Center
Where: 250 Hospital Pkwy., San Jose, Calif.
When: 3-5 p.m.

Santa Clara Medical Center
Where: 700 Lawrence Expy., Santa Clara, Calif.
When: 7-9 a.m.

Redwood City Medical Center
Where: 1100 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City, Calif.
When: 6:30-8:30 a.m.

South San Francisco Medical Center
Where: 1200 El Camino Real, South San Francisco, Calif.
When: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Santa Rosa Medical Center
Where: 401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa, Calif.
When: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

San Rafael Medical Center
Where: 99 Montecillo Rd., San Rafael, Calif.
When: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Antioch Medical Center
Where: 4501 Sand Creek Rd., Antioch, Calif.
When: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Walnut Creek Medical Center
Where: 1425 S. Main St., Walnut Creek, Calif.
When: 6:30-8:30 a.m.

Vallejo Medical Center
Where: 975 Sereno Dr., Vallejo, Calif.
When: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

San Leandro Medical Center
Where: 2500 Merced St., San Leandro, Calif.
When: 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Richmond Medical Center
Where: 901 Nevin Ave., Richmond, Calif.
When: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Fremont Medical Center
Where: 39400 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont, Calif.
When: 6:30-8:30 a.m.