KP statement about SEIU-UHW picketing

Kaiser Permanente provided the following statement to media in response to inquiries about SEIU-UHW picketing at KP facilities:

SEIU-UHW’s decision to stage picketing and make misleading and inaccurate statements about Kaiser Permanente is uncalled for and counterproductive. If the union’s leadership is truly interested in working constructively and as a partner, as they claim, they should reconsider this path.

It’s important for our members and patients to know that informational picketing is not a strike and it does not impact our care delivery or operations.

While this union is staging picketing, the physicians and employees of Kaiser Permanente will remain focused on the important work of delivering high-quality, affordable care to our members and improving the health of the communities we serve.

The union has a contract and bargaining for the next contract has not begun.

When bargaining with a union in the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, for the past 20 years we have jointly used an interest-based problem-solving approach. Unlike traditional bargaining, in interest-based bargaining the parties identify shared interests, propose ways to meet those interests, and agree on solutions. This process yields mutually beneficial results that preserve—and improve—workplace relationships and partnership.

Over the 20 years we have used this approach, we have enjoyed a historically productive labor management partnership that has resulted in improved quality and efficiency, and better working relationships, and has helped Kaiser Permanente improve as a great place to work and to receive care.