OAKLAND – Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su on Friday released the following statement after a tentative labor agreement was reached between leaders for the coalition representing health care workers and Kaiser Permanente:
“Today, following many rounds of intense negotiations, leadership for Kaiser Permanente and the coalition of unions representing its workers reached a tentative agreement covering more than 85,000 workers across seven states and the District of Columbia.
“This hard-won, historic deal reflects the dedication and commitment of both parties and a longstanding labor-management partnership between them.
“What the parties have achieved here in Oakland demonstrates, once again, that collective bargaining works. When workers have a voice and a seat at the table, it can result in historic gains for workers, their employer and our country.
“The president and I congratulate the parties on reaching a mutually beneficial deal that delivers important stability for this critical workforce, for Kaiser Permanente and for the patients in their collective care.”
Roughly 75,000 workers represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions walked off the job from Wednesday through Friday last week in what the union billed as the largest health care strike of its kind in U.S. history. Workers walked picket lines across California and in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
The union coalition has been pushing for higher wages commensurate with inflation, increased staffing and working conditions. The unions have also repeatedly accused Kaiser of negotiating in bad faith, an allegation Kaiser has denied.