U.S. Rep. Norma Torres hosted union leader at State of the Union as Kaiser nurses end strike

U.S. Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA-35) hosted labor leader Linda Hippolyte at the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., as 31,000 union Kaiser nurses returned to work following what organizers described as the largest open-ended strike of registered nurses and healthcare professionals in U.S. history.

Hippolyte, a labor leader with the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), attended the address as nurses were ending a four-week strike against Kaiser Permanente facilities in California and Hawaii.

Rep. Torres, who oversees the 35th Congressional District which includes Pomona, Ontario and Eastvale, has consistently advocated for healthcare workforce funding, labor protections and policies aimed at ensuring safe working conditions in hospitals.

 “Healthcare workers are the backbone of our communities and the foundation of our economy,” said Rep. Torres in a press release. “Hippolyte represents every nurse and healthcare worker whose expertise, courage, and dedication deserve action, not just applause. I am proud to bring her voice to the State of the Union.”

The strike began after contract negotiations between Kaiser and union leaders stalled. According to a union press release, the $76 billion healthcare giant filed repeated delays and refused to bargain in good faith over staffing issues that nurses described as patient safety emergencies.

“Our communities and the healthcare we rely on are under attack,” Hippolyte said. “I am honored to bring that message to the nation at the State of the Union.”

At the end of the strike, the union accepted the 21.5% across-the-board wage increase.

Other contract gains that Kaiser nurses saw were an end to counting non-assigned nurses toward staffing ratios, the creation of an internal nurse registry to fill short-staffed units, including overnight gaps, and the preservation and expansion of existing ratio enforcement protections, including clinic and ambulatory settings, according to reports.