The Kaiser Permanente health care strike ended on Friday following a new deal with several unions which incudes a 21% wage increase over the next four years.
The Kaiser strike began on October 4th, with 75,000 employees striking nationwide for the largest healthcare strike in U.S. history. While the strike extended to only five states and the District of Columbia, the lion’s share of strikers were in California, the home state of Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente. Unlike the concurrent Hollywood and UAW strikes, Kaiser Permanente had been actively negotiating with their workers since day one.
While higher worker pay was one demand, other demands came directly from the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, Chronic understaffing at Kaiser Permanente facilities and worker burnout rates were major issues, with workers demanding that more people be hired to help keep with demand and adequate patient care. Kaiser countered with several tentative agreements, including across the board raises over the next four years, a California worker minimum wage of $23 an hour, and benefit enhancements. Despite these and other continued negotiations, worker representatives maintained that Kaiser had not negotiated in good faith, dragging negotiations into mid-October.
However, despite both sides saying that the other was being unfair and a longer-term strike being threatened, negotiations continued over the past week, resulting in a deal being agreed to on Friday in San Francisco.
According to the new contract, employees are to receive a 21% wage increase over the next four years, with a minimum wage being established for California locations. In additions, restrictions are to be placed on hiring subcontractors and temporary workers, with Kaiser also being set to boost hiring because of 11% of all positions currently being unfilled.
At a press conference on Friday, U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su said, “This agreement demonstrates what is possible when workers have a voice and a seat at the table. Collective bargaining works. It may not always look pretty. But unions have, throughout our nation’s history, built the middle class.”
Unions, Kaiser agree to new contract
The unions praised Su’s involvement in the negotiations, with optometrist and pharmacist union head Sarah Levesque saying that “Su was instrumental in advancing talks and helping to facilitate a successful conclusion to these negotiations.”
SEIU President Dave Regan added, “the tentative deal unquestionably allows this workforce to not just keep up with but exceed the cost of living that people are struggling with across the country. The planned raises will not differ from region to region, which is a hugely important principle to the coalition of unions.”
Meanwhile, Kaiser Permanente said that they were happy that an agreement was reached, and would in particular work on getting more healthcare workers into the Kaiser system.
“It was a bumpy ride,” said Kaiser labor relations head Steve Shields. “We are committed to the mission and committed to caring for people in our communities. It is a challenging environment in the U.S. in general for healthcare. We don’t have enough healthcare workers. It’s not our intention that this agreement would have any impact on rates. As workers and management move forward, we have to really focus on mutual interests like creating the next generation of healthcare workers.”
While the deal isn’t set in stone just yet with workers set to vote on the new deal on October 18th, it is expected that it will be accepted in time to avoid another planned three-day strike.
“Compared to other strikes this year, Kaiser was a short one,” said Theresa Stevenson, an arbitrator in Michigan who has helped settled union disputes and strikes in the past. “It was health care oriented, so it was urgent. But also they had been negotiating since the beginning. They said Su did a lot on the negotiations, but they were working on it all since the beginning, so a deal would have been made without her. Her presence there was really overrated. It was an easy win for her since she knows California.”
“Neither side is really complaining about it though. Everyone knew they were due for a pay hike, but it was just a matter of how much as well as some job security. That’s it. Any other year and this would not even have been a strike, but 2023 really has been a year of strikes.”
“So now we have SAG-AFTRA, UAW, and in California, San Francisco teachers now going on strike. Year isn’t over yet.”
Workers are set to vote on the new deal next week.