The following message was sent to KP Northern California members of the Guild for Professional Pharmacists

Dear colleagues,

As we draw closer to the 2-year mark in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to express how deeply grateful we are for the remarkable efforts of our Pharmacists to provide high-quality care, develop and deliver on multiple innovations, and to provide exceptional care experiences to our members and patients.

You, and our entire workforce, inspire us daily, and we are committed to treating you with dignity and respect — which includes reaching an agreement with your union that benefits you, our incredible Pharmacists, and supports Kaiser Permanente’s mission.

Progress in Bargaining

We have met 20 times with the Guild for Professional Pharmacists since negotiations began in June, and we are pleased to have reached 19 tentative agreements on a variety of topics, such as a comprehensive approach to managing drug errors, the conversion process, bidding rights for short-hour and on-call pharmacists, and scheduling, including scheduling around PTO.

A single operational topic remains on the table for discussion: Telecommuting. As we have explained to the Guild, Kaiser Permanente is updating its National telecommuting policy to establish standardized practices across the organization. Once finalized, KP will engage with the Guild about the policy.

With operational proposals largely resolved, we have progressed to negotiating over economic proposals (wages, benefits, etc.). The tone at the bargaining table has been cordial and productive — so we were surprised to learn that your union is asking you to vote on whether or not to authorize a work stoppage.

Our economic proposals contain no takeaways

We are in active bargaining on a number of economic proposals with the union, and our proposals and counter proposals contain no takeaways. Despite what you may be told by others, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing our employees with excellent wages and benefits that are competitive in the marketplace.

A difficult decision

We believe the best place to resolve our differences is at the bargaining table. While our next bargaining session is scheduled for Oct. 12, we remain ready and willing to meet with Pharmacy Guild representatives sooner and more frequently.

As you think through your union’s request for you to authorize a strike, we hope you will consider how much your patients need and trust you to be there for them — now more than ever before. Also, please consider how much we value you for your clinical expertise, professionalism, drive, and the dedication you show to our members and patients.

A far better outcome would be for us to reach an agreement with the Guild for Professional Pharmacists as soon as possible, and to achieve a contract that is good for our Pharmacists and will allow us to continue fulfilling on our mission far into the future.

Sincerely,

Debora Catsavas

Senior Vice President, Human Resources, KFHP/H

Darin Tankersley, PhD

Chief of Medical Center Administration and Operations, TPMG