Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance of Health Care Unions have reached a three-year tentative agreement after about five months of negotiations.
The deal, reached Sept. 23, covers nearly 48,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers represented by union locals in California, Colorado, Hawaii, the Northwest, the Mid-Atlantic, and Georgia. It includes across-the-board pay increases, which vary by region and contract year, as well as a new labor-management trust to fund a Kaiser Permanente-Alliance partnership, according to Kaiser Permanente.
It also includes a new educational trust to fund job training and other educational and professional development opportunities for unionized employees and continued support for 3,600 front-line, unit-based teams, which are jointly led by managers and union-represented employees.
Both sides said they are pleased with the agreement.
"This agreement advances our ability to provide high-quality, affordable healthcare services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve," said Chuck Columbus, Kaiser Permanente senior vice president and chief human resources officer.
Alliance Executive Director Peter diCicco called the deal "a testament to every worker who spoke up, signed a petition, attended a rally and stood by the union and our Alliance."
The deal still must be voted on by local unions.
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