Agreement upholds high standards at nation's largest not-for-profit healthcare provider
OAKLAND/LOS ANGELES/FRESNO/SACRAMENTO - Outside of Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers across the state, Service Employees International Union - United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) members and their families celebrated the impact the new national labor agreement reached Fri., May 28 will have on their patients, families, and communities.
The tentative agreement covering 96,000 union members upholds high standards at the nation's largest not-for-profit healthcare provider; it provides for 3% raises in each year of the two-year agreement, maintains all existing healthcare benefits and protects job security.
"This agreement is a remarkable achievement in a tough economy," said Dave Regan, SEIU-UHW trustee. "It recognizes the contribution caregivers make to quality patient care."
"Working in the clinic it is critical to our patients that they should feel comfortable and confident in the care we deliver. This agreement means we will continue to show the same commitment and passion to quality care to our patients that we have been for years and that continuity puts our patients at ease," said Christina Hurley, a licensed vocational nurse, at Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center.
"This is an amazing achievement that was created by SEIU-UHW caregivers and Kaiser management working together for a common goal," said Les Harris, a physical therapist assistant at the LAMC. "We want the best for our patients and we want to continue to set the standard in the healthcare industry."
SEIU-UHW members, who at almost 48,000, make up half of the 96,000 union members in the 32 unions in the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, will review the tentative agreement and vote to accept or reject it in June before it becomes final. The current national agreement expires in October 2010.
During the months of national bargaining, thousands of SEIU-UHW members at Kaiser hospitals and clinics across the state, including licensed vocational nurses, emergency room technicians, laboratory assistants, pharmacy clerks, and other caregivers and their families, held rallies and pickets in support of their 2010 bargaining goals: win raises for all members, maintain all benefits including healthcare, and lock-in long-term job security.
Contact: Adriana Surfas, 510-869-2246
SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West (SEIU-UHW) is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States with more than 150,000 members. We unite every type of healthcare worker with a mission to achieve high-quality healthcare for all. SEIU-UHW is part of the 2.2 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation's fastest-growing union. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.