Local 39 operating engineers to return to work

This message was sent to all employees on behalf of Debora Catsavas, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, KFHP/H; and Darin Tankersley, PhD, Chief of Medical Center Administration and Operations, TPMG.

On Wed., Dec. 15, Kaiser Permanente received notice from International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 39 offering an unconditional return to work for about 650 Kaiser Permanente Northern California engineers who have been striking since Sept. 18. We accepted Local 39’s offer on Thursday and we encourage all staff to join us in welcoming our engineers back.

While the end of the strike does not mean we have a contract agreement with Local 39, we remain fully committed to reaching a mutually beneficial agreement with the union. We have engaged with a federal mediator to help facilitate bargaining. We hope the union’s call to return to work is an indication of its willingness to bargain constructively so we can conclude negotiations as soon as possible.

We recognize the past few months have been challenging for everyone. At Kaiser Permanente we have a culture that respects the rights of all individuals to participate in legal labor-related activities. And we expect all employees to treat each other with courtesy and respect, regardless of any differences of opinion about union-related or other issues.

We look forward to having all our staff in place, working together, to focus on the reason we all have chosen to be at Kaiser Permanente — and that is to provide compassionate, high-quality care for our members and patients who rely on us every day.

Thank you.