Kaiser Strike Averted After Workers, Company Reach Agreement
Hawaii union members haven’t yet ratified the agreement.
The national health care company Kaiser Permanente concluded contract negotiations with unions representing nearly 50,000 employees nationally, including more than 1,800 employees in Hawaii.
Kaiser and the Alliance of Health Care Unions issued a joint press release Saturday announcing the unions had called off strikes that had been planned for multiple states, including Hawaii.
The agreement was reached Saturday but still needs to be ratified before it can go into effect. If it’s ratified, it will be retroactive to Oct. 1.
鈥淭his contract protects our patients, provides safe staffing, and guarantees fair wages and benefits for every Alliance member,鈥 executive director of the Alliance of Health Care Unions Hal Ruddick said in a press release.
Christian Meisner, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Kaiser Permanente, said in a press release that the agreement “underscores our unwavering commitment to our employees by maintaining industry-leading wages and benefits.”
Employees will get annual wage increases, maintain retirement and health care benefits and receive new chances to get bonuses.
The agreement also has “new safe staffing and workload language.”
A spokesman for Unite Here Local 5, a member of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, previously said Hawaii workers have been concerned about understaffing and pushed for language to address that.
