MESSAGE TO OUR
EMPLOYEES
Kaiser Permanente and NUHW continue to exchange and consider proposals.
This message was sent on behalf of Lionel Sims, interim senior vice president, Human Resources, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals; and Priya Smith, chief employee human resources officer, The Permanente Medical Group; to Kaiser Permanente's Northern California mental health and addiction medicine professionals on Friday, August 29.
Kaiser Permanente and the National Union of Healthcare Workers met for an eighth bargaining session yesterday, August 28, to continue negotiating a new agreement for Northern California mental health and addiction medicine professionals.
We appreciate the give and take in these good-faith negotiations to reach an agreement that ensures patients get the right care at the right time — and that also supports you.
The NUHW bargaining team presented 2 proposals related to paid time off (PTO) and telecommuting, which we are considering. We provided a counter to the union’s proposal on union steward training and bargaining participation.
Our priority continues to center on supporting the evolution of our mental health delivery model and our need for greater operational flexibility to ensure patients can easily access high-quality care at the right time. We have an obligation and a deep commitment to caring for our patients in a timely manner, and we have made the investments to do so. Continuing to provide timely access as demand increases, and to meet our patients’ preferences consistently, will require us to expand the in-person capacity of our highly valued mental health clinicians, leverage our trusted external network of therapists, and provide a more flexible approach to appointment scheduling.
The union bargaining team sought clarification on the proposals we brought forward on Tuesday, August 26, including updated language around reductions in force, which is included in the current contract under Article XI. We welcome the union’s counterproposals, as this is the best path to reaching an agreement that benefits our members, patients, and clinicians.
Our next bargaining sessions are scheduled for September 16 and 19. We also have bargaining dates confirmed for September 23, 25, and 30 and are discussing additional dates in October with the union.
We are grateful for the care you provide to patients every day. We will continue to engage in good faith to reach a mutually beneficial agreement we can all be proud of.
For more information, visit kp.org/nuhwbargaining.