July 8, 2025

NUHW bargaining begins in Northern California

First day of negotiations between Kaiser Permanente and the National Union of Healthcare Workers in Northern California sets a respectful, productive tone.

Kaiser Permanente and the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) began negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement in Northern California on July 8 at the NUHW headquarters in Emeryville.

The new agreement will cover more than 2,300 mental health and addiction medicine clinicians in Northern California.

Both bargaining teams came into the discussions well-prepared. Our bargaining team, which includes experienced operational, clinical, and mental health leaders, was pleased with the positive and respectful first day, setting the tone for productive sessions to come.

The NUHW and Kaiser Permanente bargaining teams discussed introductory topics and began the exchange of proposals.

We emphasized during the meeting our commitment to you to bargain productively to reach an agreement that benefits our mental health clinicians and ensures that we can meet the needs and expectations of our patients and members. The current KP-NUHW agreement in Northern California expires September 30, 2025.

As part of our commitment to open, transparent communication throughout bargaining, updates and other communication will be available at kp.org/labor.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to compassionately caring for your patients and continuously helping to advance mental health care at Kaiser Permanente.

The next bargaining sessions are scheduled for Friday, July 11; Thursday, July 24; and Thursday, July 31.