Last year was marked by labor actions across the U.S. From coast to coast, healthcare workers participated in strikes, citing concerns about issues such as pay, staffing and recruitment, and such actions have continued into 2024.
Fifteen strikes reported by Becker's Hospital Review this year:
Note: This article was created Feb. 13 and will continue to be updated. It was last updated on Sept. 30.
1. Union-represented nurses at Honolulu-based Hawaii Pacific Health's Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children held a one-day strike on Sept. 13. The nurses, members of the Hawaii Nurses Association, have gone on strike twice this year amid ongoing contract negotiations.
2. About 1,100 SEIU Healthcare 1199NW-represented workers held a weeklong strike at Richland, Wash.-based Kadlec Regional Medical Center and its Kennewick ER. The strike began Aug. 20 and ended at 6 a.m. Aug. 27.
3. Members of the Illinois Nurses Association at Chicago-based UI Health held a seven-day strike for registered nurses, with licensed practical nurses joining them for five of the days. The strike began on Aug. 19.
4. Building trades and supply chain workers, represented by SEIU Local 73, began a strike on July 14 at UChicago Medicine. The strike, which ended on July 20, included painters, carpenters, building engineers, grounds crews, and supply chain specialists.
5. Members of the Oregon Nurses Association began a three-day strike June 18 at six Providence facilities. The union represents about 3,000 nurses at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Providence Newberg (Ore.) Medical Center, Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City, Providence Medford (Ore.) Medical Center, Providence Hood River (Ore.) Memorial Hospital, and Providence Milwaukie (Ore.) Hospital.
6. Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers began a three-day strike April 23 at the Sutter Center for Psychiatry in Sacramento, Calif. The union represents approximately 150 workers at the 73-bed psychiatric hospital, according to the NUHW. The hospital is part of Sutter Health, a 23-hospital system with locations across Northern California.
7. Physicians and physician assistants who work in the emergency department at Detroit-based Ascension St. John began a 24-hour strike on April 18. The contracted clinicians, who are represented by the Greater Detroit Association of Emergency Physicians, are employed by TeamHealth, a private equity-owned hospital staffing company.
8. Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers held a one-day strike April 16 at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae, Calif. The union represents more than 100 MarinHealth medical technicians, including MRI technologists, pharmacy technicians, ultrasound technologists and cardiac sonographers, according to an NUHW news release shared with Becker's.
9. Members of the Michigan Nurses Association began a five-day strike April 15 at MyMichigan Medical Center Sault in Sault Ste. Marie. Union members voted to authorize a strike in March and issued a strike notice on April 3. Their last contract expired Dec. 31.
10. The Registered Nurses Professional Association, which represents more than 3,750 nurses in Santa Clara County's health system in California, began a three-day strike April 2. The strike is a first in the history of the union, according to an RNPA news release shared with Becker's.
11. Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers began a two-day strike March 25 at Seton Medical Center in Daly City, Calif., part of Alhambra, Calif.-based AHMC Healthcare. The strike involves approximately 430 Seton Medical Center workers, including nursing assistants, licensed vocational nurses, respiratory therapists, housekeepers and medical technicians, according to the union.
12. Nurses at Springfield, Ore.-based PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Care Services began a two-week strike Feb. 10, according to CBS affiliate KPIC. Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth said it contracted with an agency to provide temporary replacement workers during the strike.
13. Nurses at Ascension Saint Joseph-Joliet (Ill.), who are members of the Illinois Nurses Association, began a four-day strike Feb. 8. The hospital is part of St. Louis-based Ascension, and the union represents about 500 nurses at the facility.
14. Nurses began a seven-day strike Jan. 21 at Honolulu-based Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The strike followed months of negotiations between the Hawaii Nurses Association and the hospital.
15. Nurses represented by National Nurses United held a two-day strike at Saint Louis University Hospital. The nurses, part of NNU affiliate National Nurses Organizing Committee, began their strike Dec. 27 and concluded it Dec. 29. Saint Louis University Hospital, a 365-bed facility, is part of St. Louis-based SSM Health.