2 tentative agreements reached in 17th session

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 Tuesday, October 28.

To our mental health and addiction medicine professionals,

On Monday, October 27, Kaiser Permanente and the National Union of Healthcare Workers continued negotiations for a new agreement that covers our Northern California mental health and addiction medicine professionals.

We continue to come to the table to negotiate an agreement that provides us with the flexibility we need to meet the needs and expectations of our members and patients in the face of rapidly increasing demand, while also remaining a great place to work for mental health professionals.

2 tentative agreements reached, signaling progress

We presented a counterproposal to Health and Welfare Benefits for Retirees (Article 24), which included substantive increases in contributions to health reimbursement accounts. The NUHW bargaining team accepted this proposal, resulting in the first tentative agreement of the session.

We also presented a counterproposal for Health and Welfare Benefits for Active Employees (Article 22), which includes increases in the annual maximum benefit for dental care from $1,500 to $2,000. The union is considering the proposal.

Lastly, we presented a package proposal that included 2 items.

• Incentive Plan Description and Eligibility (Appendix D): In a prior session, the NUHW bargaining team proposed the inclusion of per diem employees in the incentive pay program. We presented a counterproposal that aligns with their request but prorates the payout for per diem employees based on hours worked.
• Per Diem Work Commitment (Letter of Understanding): We are proposing that per diem employees be required to make themselves available to work a minimum of 12 shifts per quarter, including 6 weekend shifts, 2 contractual holidays (where applicable), and 2 hard-to-fill days. This allows us to better plan for staffing and provides us with the flexibility needed to deliver the mental health care our members need, when they need it.

The NUHW bargaining team presented a counterproposal to the Best Practices Workgroup Letter of Understanding (previously referred to as Model of Care), which articulates our intent to form cross-functional workgroups to address areas of opportunity in clinical programs. We agreed to this counterproposal, resulting in the second tentative agreement of the day.

The union also presented a second proposal, a package, including Seniority (Article 9), Posting and Filling Positions (Article 10), and Reduction in Force (Article 11).

Continuing dialogue at the bargaining table

Our next bargaining sessions are Thursday, October 30, and Wednesday, November 5. NUHW provided possible dates for continued bargaining in December, and we are considering those dates.

Thank you for the care that you provide to our members and patients each and every day.

For more information, visit kp.org/nuhwbargaining.