Kaiser Reaches Labor Deal With 67K California Workers

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente Wednesday reached a tentative agreement with more than 85,000 of its workers on a new nationwide contract following five months of negotiations.

The four-year deal was brokered between Kaiser and a coalition of 11 unions, Kaiser confirmed in a news release.

Of the 85,000 employees covered by it, 67,000 of them are in California. The deal represents hundreds of different types of workers, ranging from optometrists, pharmacists and nurses to maintenance and service.

According to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, it includes annual raises of 3 percent for its employees in California, Oregon and Washington state.

It also puts a ban on subcontracting as well as restrictions on outsourcing.

If ratified, it will take effect Oct. 1 and avert a strike which was slated to begin Oct. 14.

Earlier this month, dozens of Kaiser employees were arrested during a Labor Day protest outside the Kaiser Permanente L.A. Medical Center in East Hollywood. Rep. Maxine Waters and presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris were in attendance.

Back in October of 2018, Kaiser reached a labor deal with about 32,000 California workers represented by a different coalition, the Alliance of Health Care Unions.