October 18, 2024
Bargaining continues following NUHW 10-day strike notice
Kaiser Permanente remains committed to reaching a new contract.
Overview
Kaiser Permanente and NUHW met for their 17th and 18th bargaining sessions on Tuesday, October 15, and Thursday, October 17.
Kaiser Permanente stands by the strong offer placed on the table several sessions ago. This offer has no takeaways, and it increases wages, which are already 18% above market on average. The offer enhances the comprehensive benefits our mental health professionals enjoy — including an improved employer-paid basic life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment benefits for individuals working 32 hours or more per week. The offer also provides therapists with more protected planning and preparation time.
Despite this robust offer, NUHW has had very little meaningful response regarding the proposal’s specifics. On October 10, NUHW delivered a 10-day notice of its intent to hold an open-ended strike beginning October 21, making the deliberate decision to call on therapists to walk away from their patients.
Our mental health and addiction medicine program contingency plan is ready for implementation on Monday, should the union move forward with the strike. Patient safety and the delivery of high-quality care and service are our highest priorities. Kaiser Permanente will deliver mental health and addiction medicine care during this work stoppage, and our plans include minimizing potential disruptions while providing timely access to care.
All members will continue to have access to individual therapy appointments during the strike. We have comprehensive plans in place to continue providing mental health care, including offering patients the opportunity to be seen by another professional in our extensive network if their regular provider takes part in the strike. If a patient prefers to wait until their therapist returns to work, they may do so. For those patients who do not want to wait for their therapist, we will meet that need for care. If changes to appointments are necessary, we will notify patients in advance to discuss appointment options that take their preferences and treatment needs into consideration.
Our medical centers and medical offices will remain open, including our hospitals, emergency departments, urgent care departments, primary and specialty care departments, pharmacies, and laboratories. Please know that we have urgent mental health and crisis services available at all times.
While we prepare for this potential strike, we remain open and ready to continue meeting with NUHW to reach a new contract. We have additional bargaining dates scheduled for Wednesday, October 23, and Friday, October 25. We are committed to reaching a deal — which even now we believe can be achieved without a strike. If a strike happens, it will be due to NUHW leadership choosing that path.
Bargaining details
On October 15, NUHW presented a series of counterproposals that Kaiser Permanente is reviewing. The topics include:
- Compensation
- Bereavement Leave
- Health and Welfare
- Earned Time Off
- Incentives
Kaiser Permanente presented counterproposals on Technology and Incentives.
On October 17, Kaiser Permanente offered counterproposals on:
- Health and Welfare
- Retiree Medical Program
- Bereavement Leave
- Protected Planning and Preparation Time (Kaiser Permanente maintained its current offer of up to 6 hours per week for activities such as planning, preparation, and training, with 4 hours of it designated as protected time — something that’s not in NUHW’s current contract.)
We also offered tentative agreements on New Technology and Preceptors.
NUHW presented counterproposals on:
- Incentives
- Technology
- Protected Planning and Preparation Time
