The following message was sent to KP Northern California Local 39 Stationary Engineers
Dear colleague,
The last 20 months of this pandemic have been an incredibly challenging and stressful time to work on the front lines of health care.
With gratitude
We are extremely grateful to you and our entire workforce for what we have accomplished together to care for our patients, members, and each other. What you have done during the pandemic has been nothing short of inspirational.
We are committed to treating our incredible workforce with dignity and respect, which includes reaching an agreement with your union that benefits you and supports the mission of Kaiser Permanente.
Kaiser Permanente is not cutting your pay or benefits
We also believe it is important that you have the facts, and we want to correct any misinformation you may have about our proposals:
- While we are still in negotiations, we have already proposed across-the-board increases and bonuses for each year of a 3-year contract that would keep our engineers among the best compensated in the profession.
- We are not seeking any takeaways.
- We have not proposed any changes to your comprehensive medical benefits, which include no or very low out-of-pocket costs and subsidized medical coverage after retirement.
- We have not proposed any change to your comprehensive retirement benefits, which include a defined contribution retirement savings plan and a defined benefit pension plan.
- Our proposal to the union includes voluntary opportunities for travel assignments, with appropriate compensation.
- We have not taken any action to stop paying for your benefits for the duration of the strike, although it is a legal and allowable option.
We are committed to bargaining in good faith
We will continue to bargain in good faith in the hope of reaching a final, mutually beneficial contract as soon as possible. We have met with Local 39 a total of 9 times for bargaining since July. We’re pleased to have already reached agreements on 3 specific provisions of a new contract and look forward to completing the remainder.
We look forward to having you back as soon as possible
While we believe continued discussions at the bargaining table is the best way to resolve issues, we respect your right to participate in a lawful strike. We appreciate that most picketing has been peaceful, and we want to assure you that we are committed to keeping Kaiser Permanente a best place to work in health care and a place where you will continue to receive excellent wages and benefits. We are calling on you to urge your Local 39 leadership to reach an agreement quickly.
We look forward to having you back as soon as possible to join your health care colleagues in diligently and compassionately providing care every day.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Debora Catsavas
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, KFHP/H
Darin Tankersley, PhD
Chief of Medical Center Administration and Operations, TPMG