What is The Tentative Deal Reached by Kaiser Permanente and Labor Unions?

After the workers of Kaiser Permanente went on strike, the labor unions and Kaiser Permanente entered into a tentative deal.

The walkout by the workers of Kaiser Permanente that lasted for three days proved to be the largest work stoppage of healthcare workers in the history of the United States, as per the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.

"The frontline healthcare workers of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are excited to have reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente as of this morning. We are thankful for the instrumental support of Acting US Labor Secretary Julie Su," expressed the coalition in a statement on Facebook. The same statement has been stated on Facebook by Kaiser Permanente.

Kaiser Permanente serves approximately 13 million people across the nation. 

ALSO READ: Centenarian Blood Tests Reveal The Secrets of a Long Life!

Both the labor union and Kaiser Permanente assented to a deal that would last for four years by giving new minimum wages to the coalition for approximately three years that will be reaching $25 an hour in California. It is $23 an hour in the other states, as stated by Kaiser.

As per the new tentative agreement, union workers are actually "guaranteed across-the-board wage increases totaling 21% over four years," the betterment of the Performance Sharing Plan of employees with minimum payout events along with a substantial maximum payout opportunity. The agreement also guarantees more investments in job training.

When Kaiser Permanente and the labor negotiators could not reach an agreement on staffing levels, over 75,000 union members chose to walk out. The union expected better pay along with other benefits for the members. It also demanded a long-term and robust solution to the staffing shortage.

As per Kaiser, the new agreement will be aiding in catering to the staffing issue.

Pharmacists, housekeepers, medical assistants, radiology technicians, emergency department technicians, vocational nurses, respiratory therapists, and pharmacists left the medical facilities and hospitals on October 4 exactly at 6 a.m. local time. The strike encompassed employees working in California, Colorado, Washington, D.C., Washington state, Oregon, and Virginia.

The secretary-treasurer for OPEIU Local 2, Sarah Levesque, expressed that workers could not properly perform their jobs due to staffing issues.

"These people got into health care because they wanted to take care of patients, and they’re just stretched too thin," she expressed.

The concern does not end here, and that can be guessed through her next expression. "It’s taking up to three months to get appointments with some of the doctors." Similar feelings were expressed by many others.

It is also stated that some patients waited for more than a month just to be checked by a physician.

ALSO READ: UC San Diego is Ranked as the 6th Best Public University in the Nation

ALSO READ: Minimum Wage Increased from 2024 Onwards in New York