2019 Coalition Bargaining Update

An important message from: Dennis Dabney, Senior Vice President, National Labor Relations and the Office of the Labor Management Partnership Jim Pruitt, Vice President, Labor Management Partnership and Labor Relations, The Permanente Federation

May 16, 2019

Energized by the work at hand, management and union negotiators wrapped up the first Kaiser Permanente Coalition bargaining session in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 16.

In a lively exercise, the subgroup working on how to strengthen our Labor Management Partnership “voted” with their feet to identify the issues they felt most strongly about. The management and union bargaining team members, joined by union observers, stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of large posters with options such as education and training, early engagement of labor in decision making, and other topics.

Similar work to develop common interests was unfolding in the Work of the Future subgroup and in the subgroup focused on improving organizational performance while delivering high-quality care.

“I’m invigorated,” said Monica Morris, director of National Workforce Planning and Development and the Work of the Future management co-lead. That subgroup is developing solutions that will help us prepare for how technology is reshaping jobs.

“We’ve made some great progress,” added Meg Niemi, president of SEIU Local 49 in the Northwest and the subgroup’s union co-lead.

At the next session, on May 28-29, negotiators will start to craft solutions, based on their shared interests, to reach a strong National Agreement that will keep KP a best place to work and to help the organization and our union members advance Kaiser Permanente’s mission.