SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance of Health Care Unions reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract on Saturday, avoiding a possibility of a strike.
The agreement includes a new staffing language aimed at protecting employees and patients, annual wage increases, and maintaining benefits while providing career development and advancement opportunities for Alliance union-represented employees.
“The Alliance of Health Care Unions fought to preserve a Kaiser Permanente where patients can count on excellent patient care and service. This has guided our work for 24 years. This agreement will mean patients will continue to receive the best care, and Alliance members will have the best jobs,” said Hal Ruddick, Executive Director, Alliance of Health Care Unions. “This contract protects our patients, provides safe staffing and guarantees fair wages and benefits for every Alliance member.”
“This landmark agreement positions Kaiser Permanente for a successful future focused on providing high-quality health care that is affordable and accessible for our more than 12 million members and the communities we serve. It also underscores our unwavering commitment to our employees by maintaining industry-leading wages and benefits,” said Christian Meisner, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Kaiser Permanente. “These were challenging negotiations, but this tentative agreement demonstrates the strength of our Labor Management Partnership and the unique success it can achieve when we work together.”
The tentative agreement details include:
- Guaranteed across the board wage increases each year through 2025 for all Alliance-represented employees.
- No reductions or takeaways to family medical or dental coverage with the same low co-pays for prescriptions and office visits.
- The agreement maintains retirement income benefits and employer-subsidized retiree medical.
- An introduction of the Alliance Bonus Plan which provides annual payouts for new “mutually-agreed-upon objectives to address affordability.
- Ensures that every Kaiser Permanente patient receives “extraordinary care” at each workplace.
- Alliance-represented employees will continue to have opportunities to grow and advance in their careers.
The tentative agreement was approved by the members of the Alliance of Health Care Unions subcommittee and will be presented to union members for a vote. The voting will take over the next few weeks. If approved, the agreement will have an effective date of October 1, 2021.
