Around 31,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses and other healthcare workers went on strike across California, Hawaii and Oregon on Tuesday, demanding higher pay and better staffing.

In response, Kaiser is calling the strike unnecessary and disruptive, saying union demands are excessive.

The big picture: The five-day strike covers 500 medical centers in the three states and is the largest in the history of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP). • The Associated Press reported that the strike could grow to 46,000 people in total. • Workers on strike include nurse anesthetists, certified nurse midwives, acupuncturists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, physical therapists and physician assistants, among others.

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