October 16, 2023

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions and Kaiser Permanente have reached a tentative agreement on their new contract. Their across-the-board wage increases in this tentative deal were because the 75,000 members stood strong together nationwide and made the hard decision to risk it all with a three-day strike earlier this month and were prepared to be out even longer in November.

The Coalition’s worker-led victory shows the power Kaiser Permanente members have when they collectively stand together for what they believe in, and UFCW Local 1428 was proud to stand in solidarity with the members of the Coalition as they bargained for a fair contract.

We know all Kaiser Permanente employees, regardless of union affiliation, want the same thing – for Kaiser Permanente to fix the staffing crisis by increasing compensation to attract and retain experienced employees, improving working conditions, hiring more aggressively, and working with labor to develop employees to fill future vacancies.

The Coalition’s collective power began to address these issues, but more work is needed. The Alliance of Health Care Unions, which UFCW Local 1428 is a part of, will need to show the same power and determination in 2025 during our contract negotiations to ensure Kaiser Permanente workers have the safe staffing levels and the compensation they deserve.

Although Kaiser Permanente is under no obligation to change the wage increases we negotiated in 2021, The Alliance of Health Care Unions has approached Kaiser Permanente executives and asked that they raise the already negotiated wage increase because we believe all Kaiser employees deserve more. We are waiting to hear back from Kaiser’s executives and will keep you updated.

Thank you to all Alliance members who expressed your solidarity on the picket line!