Tentative Agreement Reached Between Union Workers and Kaiser Permanente Following Historic US Healthcare Strike

Breaking News: Kaiser Permanente Reaches Deal with Unions Following Historic Health Care Strike

CNN
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Kaiser Permanente has reached a tentative agreement with the unions representing its 75,000 employees, bringing an end to the largest-ever health care strike in US history. Click here to read more.

Tentative Agreement Reached

“The frontline healthcare workers of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are excited to have reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente,” the union coalition announced on Twitter. The instrumental support of Acting US Labor Secretary Julie Su played a crucial role in reaching this agreement.

Short-Lived Strike

The strike, which lasted only three days as scheduled, was a strong statement from the coalition of unions. However, they were prepared to escalate the strike to eight days next month if a new deal was not reached by October 31. Read more about the potential escalation here.

Details of the Agreement

While the specific details of the agreement have not been made public, it addresses the union’s demands for better pay and improved staffing levels at Kaiser hospitals and other facilities.

Inclusive Representation

The union coalition represents a significant portion of Kaiser Permanente’s non-physician workforce, including medical workers such as EMTs, X-ray technicians, nursing assistants, and respiratory care practitioners. It also represents hospital support staff such as maintenance and janitorial staff, as well as food services.

Voting on the Agreement

The rank-and-file members of the union will have the opportunity to vote on the tentative labor agreement. If the agreement is rejected, another strike could still occur. Similar situations have unfolded in the past, such as when nearly 4,000 members of the United Auto Workers union went on strike at Mack Trucks after rejecting a previous tentative agreement.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is a renowned not-for-profit health provider in the United States. It operates under a unique membership model, where patients or their employers pay a membership fee to access a wide range of health care services. With 12.7 million members, Kaiser Permanente operates 39 hospitals and 622 medical offices across the nation.

Union Activity and Health Care

The recent agreement between Kaiser Permanente and the unions is part of a larger trend of increased union activity in the United States, particularly in the health care sector. Unions and their members have been advocating for better pay and addressing staffing shortages that impact the quality of care.

Health Care Sector Strikes

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the health care industry has seen a significant increase in strike activity. Out of the 42 work stoppages of 1,000 or more strikers recorded from the start of 2022 through August of this year, approximately one-third were in the health care sector. This is an increase from 24% in 2019, the year before the pandemic. Despite health care workers constituting only about 9% of private sector union members nationwide, they have been at the forefront of labor activism.