In November, Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions-represented employees approved a new four-year national labor contract following a strike involving tens of thousands of workers in multiple states. Employees also approved their local collective bargaining deals.
One year later, here are 10 things to know about the strike, the agreement and where things stand.
1. This month marks the one-year anniversary of when union members held a three-day strike in October 2023 at Kaiser hospitals and medical office buildings in California, Colorado, Washington and Oregon, and a one-day strike in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
2. The strike by union members at Kaiser Permanente was one of more than 30 major strikes in 2023, the highest number in the U.S. in more than two decades. In a news release shared with Becker's, SEIU Local 49, a member of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, cited this data from the Labor Department.
3. The coalition has also deemed the strike as the largest healthcare worker strike in the U.S. In total, 75,000 workers went on strike, although there are 85,000 in the coalition. About 10,000 workers were unable to strike as their contracts had not yet expired, according to SEIU Local 49.
4. The national four-year agreement, announced in November, is in effect from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2027, and covers all 85,000 union members in the coalition, who work at Kaiser Permanente facilities across California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
5. The new agreement includes annual wage increases, new minimum wages and a redesigned Performance Sharing Plan, Kaiser Permanente said in a previous statement posted online. It also addresses staffing, additional opportunities for employee education and career development.
6. Details of the national agreement include raising wages by 21% over the life of the contract; establishing a new healthcare worker minimum wage of $25 per hour in California and $23 per hour in other states where Kaiser operates; and protective terms related to subcontracting and outsourcing, according to coalition representatives. The deal also includes initiatives such as streamlining hiring practices, increased training and education funding, mass hiring events, and a commitment to upskill current workers and invest in the training of future staff.
7. After their strike, union members received a 6% raise in 2023 and this month will receive a 5% raise under their agreement, according to SEIU Local 49. The 5% includes raises to certified nurse assistants, lab techs, phlebotomists, food service and housekeeping staff.
8. "Striking wasn't an easy decision for us as healthcare workers, but we knew we had to do something big to make improvements for workers and patients," Keven Dardon, a patient access representative at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas, Ore., said in the union release. "We want even more healthcare workers and patients to benefit from the high standards we worked together to establish at Kaiser Permanente by joining our union."
9. In a statement shared with Becker's, Kaiser Permanente said: "We're pleased with the ongoing collaboration at work with the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions. The four-year agreement reached last year included competitive wages, excellent benefits, generous retirement income plans, and valuable job training opportunities that support Coalition employees' economic well-being, advance our shared mission, and keep Kaiser Permanente a best place to work and receive care."
10. In addition to the raises, Kaiser Permanente has made significant progress in terms of filling roles and adding staff, the organization said. According to its statement, the number of open positions across Kaiser is down 57% from the organizational high in 2022, and 27% below the pre-pandemic number reported at the end of 2019. Through June 2024, the organization reported filling 33,115 positions, including 26,840 in care delivery.