On the night of July 26, Kaiser management sent an outrageous “proposal” by email to leaders of our Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions—rather than through our official bargaining process—and we want to make sure SEIU members get the facts from our bargaining team. Here are the urgent takeaways from this communication:
- Kaiser wants to give us lower raises in the Northwest than in California.
- Kaiser still wants to cut retiree medical benefits.
- Kaiser is still offering no protection for our jobs against outsourcing and automation.
Our Coalition leaders were clear that we don’t bargain over phone or email: Kaiser management must respect our process, respect our union, and offer a fair proposal that addresses the concerns of healthcare workers in a meaningful way.
We’re saying NO to unequal pay.
Kaiser wants to offer significantly lower raises for union members outside of California. Management is proposing 2% raises in Oregon and Washington, or 8% in raises over 4 years—but they’re offering California union members 3% raises, or 12% in raises over 4 years!
We’re saying NO to near-minimum wage for many new employees.
Management recently put an outrageous proposal on the table that would cut starting pay for new healthcare workers by 15%. This would mean many new Kaiser employees in our union would be starting only cents above the minimum wage.
There are 85,000 union members in our Coalition, and it’s clear that Kaiser is trying to divide us. We need to stay united until we all get what we deserve. Remember, OUR WORK is what enabled Kaiser to earn record profits—$3.2 BILLION in the first three months of this year alone—and there is no reason we should accept any cuts to pay, benefits, or jobs.
We’re continuing to say STOP all Unfair Labor Practices.
Kaiser illegally withdrew from National bargaining and continues to act in bad faith and interfere with the rights of our members in the Coalition. This is unacceptable.
We stand by our proposal.
Our Union Coalition and bargaining team continues to stand by our proposal which protects our jobs, allows us to share in Kaiser’s prosperity.
