Bargaining update: September 19, 2024

We have been disappointed and even upset with management at previous bargaining sessions, but yesterday we were outraged.  When you read our summary below, you will understand why and we hope it will reinforce the importance of signing onto our Strike Authorization Petition.

Yesterday we had our eighth day of bargaining and were hoping that Kaiser management would have a meaningful discussion with us about workload and staffing issues and patient management time. Instead of wanting to engage with all of us on these very important issues, they started today’s session by suggesting that just two of us meet with two managers for four hours to “collaborate” to “develop a deep understanding of each party’s proposals on PMT”.  When we told them that we all needed to be in the room for such an important topic, they said they would “consider it”.

After this inauspicious beginning, management had no proposals for us in the morning, while we gave them revised proposals on Professional Practice Committees and Preceptors.

After lunch, we gave Kaiser revised proposals on Associates, New Technology and Status Definitions, and agreed to their previous proposal on Leaves of Absence.  Then they dropped on us a brand new proposal on Professional Hours, which would eliminate professional time for all employees who work under thirty-two hours per week. Their proposal would also require all employees to get approval from management before any partial day absence, effectively taking away professional time altogether.

To add insult to injury, management “packaged” this proposal with their watered down proposal on flexible work schedules. Basically management’s proposal is that they will not consider being even a wee bit more liberal with granting flexible or hybrid schedules unless we agree to give away our professional time.

After they gave us this obscene package proposal, they asked us if we had anything more for them.  When we said “no”, their chief spokesperson said, “I guess we’re done” and their team left the room. After we had left, they sent us a “Complete Economic Package” via email. Their total economic package starts with the same inadequate wage rate increases for a four year contract of 4%, 3%, 3%, 3% they offered at the last bargaining session. It also ends there. Kaiser’s response to our  economic  proposals can be summarized in one word: “NO!”

• NO to increasing bi-lingual differential to the same as our colleagues in NorCal
• NO to adding Juneteenth as a Holiday
• NO to improving dental coverage
• NO to reducing co-pays for medical coverage
• NO to improving standby pay on par with other professional
• NO to offering our members the same retiree health benefits other unionized employees have
• NO to making RNs eligible for the Student Loan repayment program
• NO to improvements in Ed Leave and Bereavement Leave

The only topic they left open is Retirement Benefits, which they said they were “still considering.”  We are certain they are not considering restoring the defined benefit pension for all, but only considering some lesser provision.

Kaiser also sent counter proposals on incentive plan metrics, which we are still analyzing, but at first glance look like productivity standards in disguise. For example, for Social Medicine, their proposed metrics include unrealistic patient wait time and documentation standards and for psychiatry they are incentivizing booking into PMT and meeting time. While these are only metrics for an incentive plan, we know from history how KP management harasses employees by treating unachievable incentives like mandatory performance metrics.

Are we ready to fight?!

Kaiser’s behavior at the bargaining table indicates they don’t thing we are ready to call for an open-ended strike. Help us convince them they are wrong. Let’s send Kaiser the strongest message possible that we all stand together and demand to be treated as professionals, with dignity and respect, to have sustainable workloads and working conditions that encourage retention and to be treated equitably with other Kaiser employees by restoring our pension, providing us comparable benefits and giving us fair wage increases that take into account years of substandard increases.

Future bargaining sessions

We have added September 23rd to the previously scheduled dates of September 24 and September 30th.  If you would like to show solidarity by attending any of these remaining sessions, you may sign up here.

Member Resources

Find bargaining and campaign updates as well as resources, guides and materials to help you prepare for a strike and even start your own private practice, find temp work, and build up a hardship fund on our NUHW Kaiser Member Resources Website.