Oakland, Calif. – Kaiser Permanente and its unionized workers announced a five-year contract today covering 82,000 employees in Washington, D.C. and eight states including Colorado.
The Oakland-based HMO and union officials said the contract covers nearly all Kaiser employees – except doctors – at more than 400 facilities. It includes annual pay raises of up to 5 percent in the first year and more money for benefits and training.
It was expected to take effect Saturday once all union votes are counted. The deal covers nurses, lab technicians, pharmacists, janitors and cafeteria workers, among other positions.
As of Wednesday, 92 percent of the more than 40,000 Kaiser workers who voted said they supported the contract, which union leaders emphatically endorsed.
“It’s the best contract we’ve negotiated with any health system employer, anywhere,” said Sal Rosselli, president of SEIU United Health Care Workers West. “(It includes) great wages, great benefits, and actually increased pension benefits.” The agreement came as workers at another California hospital chain, Sacramento-based Sutter Health, continued an open-ended strike as part of a bitter contract dispute.
About 800 workers walked off their jobs earlier this month at three campuses at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco after negotiations over pensions, training and staffing collapsed.
Kaiser and 29 unions entered into a partnership in 1997 to improve communication between labor and management. Union leaders praised the company for soliciting regular input on management decisions.
The new contract will be the second five-year pact the sides have negotiated.
Kaiser officials said in a statement that the agreement will help the company recruit and retain employees.
It applies to Kaiser employees in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Washington.
Kaiser is a not-for-profit health maintenance organization that administers health plans and operates 30 medical centers and employs 11,000 physicians.
