KP-CNA Bargaining, June 23, 2022
The first session of bargaining was a day of introductions and an expressed interest by all to commit to the work ahead with the goal to get to agreement. Members of the union’s bargaining team introduced themselves with brief remarks. As always, the union’s team is an impressive group that represents the depth, diversity, experience, and heart that are hallmarks of Kaiser Permanente nurses.
After a solemn moment of silence to honor colleagues, friends and family, and community members we lost over the last two years, the Kaiser Permanente bargaining team members – most of whom are RNs – introduced themselves.
Remarks by bargaining team leaders Meghan Swinford, Executive Director, Regional Patient Care Services, KFHP/H, and Richard Kimbrel, Regional Director of Nursing and Clinical Practice, TPMG, underscored how many similarities and commonalities there are among us all – there is more that unites us than divides us. We share a passion for providing high quality care and a desire to continue creating an environment that places high value on the well-being of our amazing nurses and their skills, talents, and commitment. We have all been tested over the last few years and found strong. And we are committed to working together to get through unprecedented challenges and navigate what’s to come.
Kaiser Permanente is coming into these negotiations ready to be at our best and committed to reaching an agreement. We anticipate these negotiations will include high priority topics like nurse burnout, staffing, workplace safety and violence prevention, diversity and inclusion, new graduate nurse residency programs, specialty training opportunities, filling vacancies, and opportunities for our very own KP nurses to provide exceptional patient care to our members.
We may disagree or have different solutions in mind to solve identified issues, however, we have a long and rich history of reaching agreement through the negotiation process. We’ll get there by respectfully listening and continuing to engage, while taking the time to understand each other’s issues, concerns, desires, and goals.
Our next bargaining session is Tuesday, June 28. We will continue to keep you informed. In addition to email and other channels, bargaining updates will also be posted on our For the Record website, which is accessible from any device