Thousands of health care workers are set to walk off the job at Kaiser Permanente in coming weeks.

Two Hawaii unions — UNITE HERE Local 5 and Hawaii Nurses and Healthcare Professionals — on Friday notified Kaiser of a five-day strike to begin at 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 14 after months of negotiations failed to yield a contract.

“Our members are ready to take this next step if that is what it takes for Kaiser to recognize the value of Hawaii’s workers and the quality patient care we deliver every day,” said Cade Watanabe, Local 5 Financial Secretary Treasurer, in a news release. “Kaiser remains a great place to get quality care — if you can get it; but how is it fair that Kaiser can pay its workers on the mainland more than they pay their workers here, while we work short-staffed and struggle t

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