June 25, 2023

Our approach to a beneficial partnership

National Coalition bargaining session 3 highlights employee perspectives.

This message was sent to employees represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.

Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions continued negotiations for a new national agreement, June 22 through 24. This third bargaining session was an important opportunity to have deep engagement and frank, focused conversations around our approach to partnership.

Our discussion with the Coalition focused on ways we can work together to strengthen our long-standing partnership to improve balance and fairness for both sides. Importantly, we spoke candidly about what is no longer working, opportunities for improvement in these areas, and the value of finding common ground and working together toward solutions that will support the success of both parties. We are grateful for an honest and open discussion.

During this session, we reviewed employee satisfaction and engagement results from the People Pulse survey taken in March 2023. While we are proud of the progress made thus far — especially in team effectiveness, and worker and patient safety — we also recognize that we have room to grow.

We heard your personal stories about the Performance Sharing Program and its impact on you and your families. Thank you for sharing your perspective. We look forward to collaborating with our Coalition union partners to make the Performance Sharing Program work even more effectively.

Over the last 25 years, our partnership has led to organizational change, created an environment of continuous learning and improvement, and involved the workforce in decision-making. Our partnership has resulted in remarkable outcomes that would be impossible to achieve alone.

Today, we’re a model of how labor and management can have a different kind of relationship that leverages the knowledge and commitment of front-line staff to accomplish our shared goals and continue making Kaiser Permanente the best place to work in health care.

Thank you for your commitment to our patients, members, and each other.

Our next bargaining session is scheduled for July 11 through 13. You can find updates at kp.org/bargaining.