UPDATE: Kaiser Says Majority Of Nurses Ignored Strike

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Kaiser Permanente workers throughout Northern California staged a one-day strike Tuesday in a dispute over a new contract for mental health and optical employees, but a Kaiser spokesman said the majority of nurses reported for work.

The dispute involves 4,000 members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, who have been bargaining for a new contract since 2010.

Two other unions have also walked off the job in a sympathy strike. They are the California Nurses Association, which represents 17,000 nurses, and Stationary Engineers Local 39, which represents 650 building and equipment workers.

The one-day strike could involve a total of about 22,000 Kaiser employees across the region. However, Kaiser reported Tuesday afternoon that about 80 percent of nurses at Roseville Medical Center crossed the picket line and about 70 percent showed up to work at South Sacramento Medical Center and Sacramento Medical Center. Region-wide across Northern California, Kaiser says 66 percent of its nurses went to work as scheduled.

Kaiser is covering any staffing shortages with temporary replacement workers.

Five local Kaiser Hospitals are taking part in the strike including Sacramento, South Sacramento, Roseville, Modesto and Stockton.

The dispute involves wages, health care coverage, retirement benefits, patient care and staffing levels.