Kaiser Reaches Tentative Deal With 32,000 Calif. Union Workers

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Kaiser Permanente reached a tentative labor contract Wednesday with thousands of its California health care employees.

The deal, which was jointly announced by Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance of Health Care Unions, effects 32,100 employees in California and another 16,000 nationwide.

It applies to several types of employees, including registered nurses, pharmacists and maintenance workers. Alliance represents 22 separate unions.

"Our unions are committed to raising the standards of health care delivery, and the living standards of workers everywhere," said Alliance Executive Board Chair Kathleen Theobald in a statement.

The exact details of the agreement, which includes across the board wage increases which vary depending on region and job classification, were not specified.

"This agreement advances our ability to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve," said Chuck Columbus, Kaiser Permanente senior vice president, in a statement.

The two sides have been negotiating since May under tense conditions, with workers protesting at Kaiser facilities across the state, including Harbor City, Baldwin Park and West Los Angeles.

At a protest outside a Kaiser Permanente in Downey on Labor Day, 13 union activists were peacefully arrested.

The protesters alleged that the healthcare provider plans to lay off pharmacy warehouse workers in Downey and make further staff cuts at other warehouses while relocating call center jobs in Los Angeles, Baldwin Park and Woodland Hills to other areas where workers will earn less.

The tentative agreement was approved by Alliance bargaining delegates on Sept. 29. It now goes to union members for a full ratification vote.