2019 Coalition Bargaining Update
It’s great to be able to report to you that our 2-day opening session of bargaining between Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions went very well.
To our employees and physicians:
Welcome to For the Record, your source for sound information about Kaiser Permanente Northern California and the opportunities and challenges we face.
As we consider how best to respond to the rapid changes we're seeing in health care, the economy, and our day-to-day environment, we have been and will continue to be engaged in discussions with the unions that represent our employees. We know you may hear conflicting information from different sources, so we want to make sure you are equipped with facts and information about what Kaiser Permanente is doing and why.
Thank you for all you contribute, every day, to help KP achieve its mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We encourage you to check this site often and contribute your own questions.
Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions to begin negotiations
The following message was sent on Wednesday, April 17, to employees throughout Kaiser Permanente: We are pleased to announce that Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions will begin the bargaining process for a new KP-Coalition National Agreement today and tomorrow in Oakland. Our goal in these important bargaining sessions is to achieve a mutually beneficial agreement that advances the interests of our organization, our employees who are represented by the Coalition unions, and — most importantly — the members and patients we serve. Kaiser Permanente hires, retains, and develops the best people in health care, who are committed to our mission, and enables them to do their best work.
KP-NUHW Bargaining Update and Recap of KP’s Enhanced Wage Proposal
Kaiser Permanente and NUHW met for our 27th bargaining session on March 22. KP presented more enhancements to our wage proposals that will further reinforce our therapists' position as the best paid in their communities.
KP-NUHW Bargaining Update & Recap of KP’s Open Proposals
Kaiser Permanente and NUHW met for our 25th bargaining session on Feb. 28. For your information, here is a recap of the KP’s open operational and economic proposals on the table as of Feb 28, and their benefit to therapists.
Bargaining update and message to KP mental health therapists
Since June 2018, Kaiser Permanente and NUHW have met 22 times, spent hundreds of hours at the bargaining table (never shying away from hard, honest discussions), exchanged dozens of proposals, and experienced a 5-day strike. Now, we are near the end – the parties have only three scheduled bargaining sessions left, with the last date being Feb. 28.
Setting the Record Straight: False SEIU-UHW Claims About NLRB Process
The NLRB is following its routine process to set an evidentiary hearing, however SEIU-UHW claims that the NLRB reached a decision and that Kaiser Permanente has been indicted. Neither is true.
Post-strike message for KP NCAL employees and physicians
The following message was sent to all employees and physicians in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region on behalf of Janet Liang, President, Northern California Region, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan; and Richard Isaacs, MD, FACS, CEO and Executive Director, The Permanente Medical Group:
Kaiser Permanente Statement re: SEIU-UHW Claims About NLRB Process
In March 2018, on the eve of National Bargaining, the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions split into two groups – due to disagreements among its union members over what partnership means – and the scheduled kickoff meetings did not proceed (SEIU-UHW has an existing contract that does not expire until October 2019). The disagreements came after SEIU-UHW union leadership filed a California ballot initiative that attacked Kaiser Permanente’s model and would have removed our ability to maintain the resources we need to care for our members and communities (the initiative was later withdrawn).
Updated Kaiser Permanente statement about NUHW strike
As you may know, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, the union representing mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente, has called for a five-day strike this week. We want our members and patients to know that during this strike, we are working hard to deliver high-quality care and services. All our hospitals and medical offices are open. Anyone in need of urgent mental health or other care will receive the services they require, although some non-urgent services are being rescheduled. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this unnecessary strike.
A message for employees
The following message was sent to employees throughout the Northern California region on Thursday, Nov. 29: The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), the union that represents the therapists who provide mental health and wellness care for our members and patients, has issued a 10-day notice of its intent to strike beginning at 6 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 10, and ending at 6 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15. In addition, the California Nurses Association (CNA) and Local 39 have issued notices for sympathy strikes over the same time period. We are disappointed to receive these unions’ sympathy strike notices, considering that earlier this year we achieved generous contracts with them both.