Editor's note: The Big Island Times previously published an outdated version of this story. It has been corrected with new information.
A tentative agreement has been reached between Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance of Health Care Unions.
Kaiser Permanente announced the agreement Nov. 13. The agreement covers a four-year contract that affects nearly 50,000 employees in 22 local unions.
“The Alliance of Health Care Unions fought to preserve a Kaiser Permanente where patients can count on excellent patient care and service. This has guided our work for 24 years. This agreement will mean patients will continue to receive the best care, and Alliance members will have the best jobs,” Hal Ruddick, executive director, Alliance of Health Care Unions, said in a release. “This contract protects our patients, provides safe staffing, and guarantees fair wages and benefits for every Alliance member.”
Previously, the nearly 2,000 health care workers at Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii announced that they had planed to strike, Hawaii News Now reported Nov. 10.
"The challenge we are trying to address in partnership with our unions is the increasingly unaffordable cost of health care. Wages and benefits account for half of Kaiser Permanente’s operational costs,” Kaiser Permanente Senior Vice President of Human Resources Arlene Peasnall, told Hawaii News Now.
The strike would have impact 20 Kaiser Permanente facilities in Hawaii. Workers say they are striking over wages and concerns about staffing shortages. The UNITE HERE Local 5 union says that 93% of union members support the strike.
According to Peasnall, the union-represented employees of Kaiser receive 26% more than the market average and the company even offered up to 4% yearly raises, a 2% pay increases plus a 2% cash payout each year of a four-year contract.
“No more health care heroes turning into health care zeroes," Stephanie Meredith, a ward clerk in labor and delivery at Kaiser’s Moanalua facility, said, according to Hawaii News Now. "We’re going to fight for what we’re worth, for the future of our jobs and our community. We will be here for as long as it takes until Kaiser Permanente wakes up and gets it right.”