Kaiser Permanente reached a tentative deal with union workers after the largest healthcare strike in US history. On October 4th, 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers walked off the job from various states including, California, Oregon, and Virginia to name a few. Their concerns echoed the frustrations of previous strikers; insufficient staffing, wages, and unfair labor practices. The strike lasted for a period of three days as intended, however, the unions involved threatened to strike next month if a deal was not reached by October 31st.
"The frontline healthcare workers of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are excited to have reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente," the union coalition said on X (Formerly known as Twitter). "We are thankful for the instrumental support of Acting US Labor Secretary Julie Su."
The tentative agreement includes a 21 percent wage increase over four years, a new healthcare worker minimum wage: $25 an hour in California and $23 an hour in other states where Kaiser operates, and a host of initiatives to invest in the workforce and address staffing issues. Kaiser Permanente is one of the country’s largest not for profit healthcare providers. It operates 39 hospitals and 622 medical offices.
This news comes at a time when the country has seen much union activity. The majority of strikes have occurred in healthcare; however, other industries such as auto and entertainment have also been impacted recently.
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