Kaiser Permanente management and its hospital workers reached a tentative labor agreement Saturday morning, averting what would have been one of the largest strikes in the country’s healthcare industry in recent memory.
The agreement between Kaiser and the Alliance of Health Care Unions applies to a four-year contract covering nearly 50,000 Kaiser Permanente health care employees in 22 local unions.
The agreement includes new staffing language to continue to protect employees and patients and annual wage increases.
It maintains benefits while providing career development and advancement opportunities for Alliance union-represented employees, according to a joint statement issued by management and the union alliance.
When ratified, the agreement will ensure Kaiser Permanente patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care and service; maintain Alliance union members’ industry-leading wages and benefits; and ensure Kaiser Permanente remains affordable for its members in the future.
“The Alliance of Health Care Unions fought to preserve a Kaiser Permanente where patients can count on excellent patient care and service. This agreement will mean patients will continue to receive the best care, and Alliance members will have the best jobs,” said Hal Ruddick, Executive Director, Alliance of Health Care Unions, in a statement.
“This landmark agreement … underscores our unwavering commitment to our employees by maintaining industry-leading wages and benefits,” said Christian Meisner, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Kaiser Permanente.
Strike is still on locally. Agreement was for Southern California.
if you give the employees more money then they we stop complaining. the stroke will end. not about patients care but $$$
This agreement is only for the Southern California area only, NCal is still on, the engineers have been on strike for over 2 months and the Pharmacist’s are still going on strike next week the mental health workers are doing a one day strike to get more workers and all of N California workers voted to go on a one day strike on 11/18 as a former Kaiser worker I support the strikes it is not the same Kaiser as is was when I started there in 2005 which is so sad I really loved being a Medical worker at KP then and was very proud to be one.
Which is one of the reasons why my family’s health insurance is approaching 3k a month. Criminal all the way around.
The email I got from Kaiser says the pharmacists will strike from the 15-22, along with one day sympathy strikes the 18-19 from others, including lab and radiology. It also warned of longer emergency wait times during the 15-22. I’m sure others have received the same email.
Only covers Socal.. so thus means little to the Bay Area
Too bad. Now that I stocked up on my prescriptions…😎
These guys patched me back together, made things better than original, and bought me an extra twenty years. I support the Kaiser workers who deserve everything they are asking for.