“Irregardless of the legislation, internally we looked at this and said this makes sense,” Shields said. ‘Stability’ at Kaiser Permanenteīefore the statewide minimum wage deal was announced, Steve Shields, Kaiser’s senior vice president of national labor relations, said Kaiser executives decided bumping California wages to $25 was the “right thing to do” especially for employees on the lowest end of the wage scale. “Although it’s been bumpy, and we’ve obviously had our challenges, there is a commitment on the part of the unions that comprise the coalition to genuinely say to Kaiser, we want to rebuild the partnership,” Reagan said. About 90% of Kaiser’s workforce is in California, where it operates more than 500 health facilities and three dozen hospitals.ĭave Reagan, president of SEIU-United Health Workers West, the largest of the coalition unions, said the deal helps reestablish Kaiser as an industry leader for patients and workers. Kaiser’s union coalition represents more than 85,000 workers in six states and Washington, D.C., but the coalition’s largest footprint is in California. “People under this tentative agreement can rightfully expect to make real economic progress in real terms.” Dave Reagan, president of SEIU-United Health Workers West “The President and I strongly believe in the collective bargaining process, and we know that when unions are strong, our nation is strong,” Harris said. Vice President Kamala Harris praised the recent Kaiser deal, too, in a message on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. President Biden and I support workers’ right to organize.” “And it’s through agreements like this one. It may not always look pretty, but unions have throughout our nation’s history built the middle class,” Su said during a press briefing Friday. Secretary of Labor Julie Su, who mediated the final tense negotiations last week between Kaiser and its blue-collar unions, said the latest agreement was a testament to labor’s power. labor secretary mediated contract talksĪcting U.S. That investigation concluded last week with a $200 million settlement, including a $50 million fine from the state. The prolonged strike resulted in reduced caseloads, additional guaranteed time with patients, and a commitment from Kaiser to hire more therapists, but not before the state opened an investigation into the health care giant’s practices. Thousands of therapists and other mental health clinicians at Kaiser’s Northern California facilities walked out for 10 weeks, protesting high case volumes, months-long delays in patient care and widespread burnout. Just 12 months ago, a strike by mental health workers similarly disrupted the company. Labor leaders said it was the largest health care worker strike in U.S. The short but disruptive strike led to patient appointment cancellations across the country and required Kaiser to hire thousands of temporary workers. Less than a week before reaching a deal, more than 75,000 Kaiser workers in four states staged a three-day strike, protesting acute staffing shortages and accusing Kaiser of engaging in unfair labor practices. “We believe this new contract will actually help us continue to have some of the best employees … and with those employees we’ll be able to deliver on our mission of providing high quality, affordable and accessible health care to our members,” Holmes said.īut that optimism for Kaiser’s workforce didn’t come easily. Kaiser Vice President and Chief of Human Resources Greg Holmes said the terms of the deal help the organization maintain its reputation as “one of the best places to work in health care.” The company plays an outsize role in California health care, where it serves more than 9 million patients. Kaiser workers will achieve that milestone faster under the contract the health care giant announced Friday, which raises pay for some 68,000 California workers by 21% through 2027. “We believe this new contract will actually help us continue to have some of the best employees.” greg holmes, Kaiser Vice President and Chief of Human Resources Gavin Newsom signed instituting a new minimum wage for health workers and gradually raising the floor to $25 an hour over a decade. In fact, unions did so well in the Capitol that the Kaiser contract wasn’t even the biggest labor victory for health care workers at the end of last week. It was the latest in a string of scorching labor wins in California this year.
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