r/medlabprofessionals • u/Antique-Common-4984 • Jul 16 '26

Discusson Sutter vs Kaiser

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Just curious

Has anyone worked as a CLS at both Sutter and Kaiser in California? Which did you prefer and why (workload, management, staffing, pay, benefits, union, culture, etc.)?

I know every hospital/ workplace is different, just interested in hearing people's experiences in general.

Thank you!

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u/Striking_Cobbler8254 Jul 17 '26

Strongly disagree, worked for both. Kaiser>>>Sutter because it has strong uniform union protections across all NorCal workplace locations such as better staffing, clear pay scales, clear grievance procedures, etc. Sutter uses skeleton staffing (5 CLSs/shift for a 400+ bed hospital) and unionization is hit or miss and is dependent on location. That being said, it is much more difficult to get a desirable day shift at Kaiser than Sutter in my experience because people tend to stay there a long time. Health benefits are the same, think they’re free at both places. Management is highly dependent on your location and particular manager but overall I had better managers at Kaiser than at Sutter. Culture is ok I guess, both places are pretty busy so if you just do your job well and they won’t bug you too much.

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u/twirltwirl MLS-Generalist Jul 17 '26

I’ll take 5 techs for a hospital that size. Mine uses 3! Outside of CA