We’ve been notified that the other unions with 2018 contract expirations have reached a tentative agreement on their contract. Our goal has not been to settle the quickest contract; instead we want the best contract. 

What we want remains the same: higher pay, better education leave, improved staffing, and keeping all our benefits. By continuing to stick together and show that we are united and won’t settle for less, we can accomplish all that and more. 

Your most important benefits like healthcare, retirement, wage scales, and a voice on the job are all protected and can’t be changed without bargaining and your approval. 

You will receive a 2% raise effective October 1, 2018. This doesn’t mean we are settling for 2%, though; we will demand higher raises that go back to when Kaiser illegally stopped bargaining with us. SEIU 49 members deserve higher step increases that reward longevity, and pay that is equal to—or higher than— the rest of the market. When we get to bargaining, we are damn well going to demand a lot more! You make Kaiser thrive, and you deserve it. 

We are also clear with Kaiser making $3.8 billion dollars in profit last year, there is NO reason to agree to double our medical and pharmacy co-pays! 

We’re confident we will win the legal bad faith bargaining charges that the Coalition filed with the National Labor Relations Board, but our real power is with all of you—a strong and united membership. 

 So what can we do right now to win our contract? Two big things: 

1. Join me at our rally for a Quality Contract & Quality Care: Monday, October 1, 2018 from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the Kaiser Sunnyside Campus (on Sunnyside Rd. by the Process Center). RSVP here.
2. Sign our petition to Bernard Tyson to let him know that all Northwest Region Kaiser Union Members deserve a great contract.

In unity, 

Meg Niemi, President SEIU Local 49 

Our National Agreement expires on September 30 of this year. To this date, Kaiser has refused to come to the table to negotiate it. This failure to bargain is putting our historic partnership with Kaiser in limbo. However, our local SEIU Local 49 contract protects all of our wages and benefits for another year and ensures that we will get 3% in raises between September 1, 2018 and October 1, 2018.

Kaiser management has been fostering division among the unions at Kaiser in the hopes that they can get some unions to take major benefit cuts and then try to force them on everyone. We are concerned that might come to a head over the next few weeks when Kaiser continues to negotiate with the group of unions that left the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.

At rallies last week we heard those unions are pushing back against Kaiser management’s’ demands to:

• Quadruple what union members for pay for healthcare benefits
• Do major damage to the security of our pensions by taking it away from new hires
• Erode job security by outsourcing union jobs
• Diminish our rights as union members by pressuring our Union Coalition to agree to a weak new “partnership”

We hope all Kaiser Unions keep holding the line and pushing back against any take-aways!

There is NO reason Kaiser should be ripping away our benefits and lowering standards. The fact is, Kaiser is thriving financially. The health system has over $29 billion in reservesand pays the CEO, Bernard Tyson, over $13 million a year.

Outsourcing jobs, slashing benefits and dividing workers is Kaiser’s current mode of operation. But we’re not taking it; we’re standing strong together:

• We are pursuing a case against Kaiser’s illegal refusal to bargain with the National Labor Relations Board.
• We have met with state and national elected officials and they are calling on Kaiser to bargain.
• Kaiser’s conduct will be called out by the entire labor movement on Labor Day when we rally here in Portland, Oregon & our Coalition sisters and brothers rally across California to demand Kaiser return to being a labor-friendly employer. We hope to see you and your family out there taking a stand for our future.
• Join us on Labor Day, Monday September 3, at Overlook Park across from Kaiser Interstate Medical Center in Portland. RSVP here.

Keep watching our bargaining website for updates and action alerts.

Stand Up! Stand Together!

Our union wants to send a clear message to Kaiser Permanente that we intend to protect all of our rights in our union contract and National Agreement–from our pension, to fully employer-paid family medical benefits with $3 and $5 co-pays, as well as protecting full-time jobs and advocating for better staffing to care for our patients. We’ve been taking action and we will keep doing whatever it takes to protect good jobs and quality care.

We’ve had a long history in the Northwest of standing up for our co-workers when they need us. To continue that tradition, our bargaining team wants to encourage SEIU members to support other union members who are also fighting for a good contract from Kaiser. We know that an injury to one is an injury to all, and we don’t want to see any union member take one penny in take-aways when we know we have made Kaiser thrive…especially when they are sitting on $32 BILLION in reserves. 

Join us to send a strong message to Kaiser that if there’s no contract there will be no peace.

1.  Please wear your purple and come out to support OFNHP members at their actions in Salem, Vancouver, and at the West Side. Visit the events page on for dates, times and locations.
2. We’ll be  rallying and picketing along-side OFNHP members on:
   Thursday, August 23 from 12-1pm at Kaiser Central Interstate
   Friday, August 24 from 6:30am-8am at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center (on Sunnyside Road)
3. Celebrate Labor Day with our Union family! SEIU members and their families are invited to our Labor Day Rally on Monday, September 3 from 10am – 2pm in Overlook Park in Portland.  Please RSVP here so we know how many members to expect.

Be sure to visit our Kaiser bargaining website regularly for updates, and join our Kaiser Strong Facebook group to stay engaged and informed.

Read below for the latest communication from our Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions following our July 11 meeting.

Kaiser Permanente Continues Its Aggressive Behavior Toward All Unions

Partnership Agreement

Kaiser continues to demand a new Partnership Agreement and is requiring Coalition Unions to sign a new Partnership agreement as a condition of resuming negotiations of a new National Agreement.  This “new” Partnership Agreement is completely one-sided.  It demands unions and union members waive significant rights, and it gives management the right to vote on expelling unions.

We have met three times with Kaiser leaders over the last few months to reach an agreement.  The Coalition has offered a counter proposal that was balanced—offering new rights and responsibilities within the Partnership for both our unions and Kaiser.  We also have offered a ‘temporary cease fire’ that would get us back to the table for negotiations while addressing Kaiser’s concerns.  Both of these offers have been rejected by Kaiser.

Alliance Negotiations

The unions that left the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions—the Alliance of Healthcare Unions—has been in negotiations with Kaiser after signing off on the new Partnership Agreement. They have not reached an agreement as of July 11, 2018 and are not expected to resume negotiations until late August. As those negotiations have progressed, significant concerns have emerged that that impact ALL union members at Kaiser. Specifically, Kaiser is demanding:

• Higher co-pays on our medical benefits
• “Market based” wages based on where people work
• Eroding RN staffing ratios

We have even heard that one Alliance union that was simply informing its members of the status of negotiations has been called on the carpet by Kaiser for doing so.

Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions Goals Moving Forward

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, over 80,000 members strong, is united on the following:

Partnership Agreement: We stand committed to the Partnership and are open to a new Partnership Agreement.  However, we require that any such new Agreement must:

• Be reciprocal and not one-sided,
• Protect key union and union members’ rights to advocate for and protect our jobs, job security, and
• Be voted on for ratification at the same time as a new National Agreement.

New National Agreement:  We stand united to win a new National Agreement that does the following:

• Secures equity for the Regions Outside of California (ROC) on Wages and our Pension Multiplier;
• Protects our Benefits and Wages;
• Ensures the newly added Washington State unions enjoy the same standards and provisions of the National Agreement and are not relegated to a second-class status on wages, benefits, and employee rights;
• Protects our union jobs and ensuring job security.

Kaiser is making historically high profits, including $1.3 billion in the most recent quarter.  There is no reason for Kaiser to be demanding takeaways from anyone.  They can afford to move forward to have the best ever National Agreement.

Our Plan to Win Moving Forward

Our Unity is our Strength. The strength of the Coalition over the past 20 years is what has helped us win the best contract in healthcare in the United States.  We will not stand idly by while Kaiser continues its bad faith bargaining tactics. Here is our plan to win:

• Worksite Actions: Throughout the Coalition, we are conducting various worksite actions to show our unity and to show Kaiser that we are united and in action together. It is more important than ever for all members to get involved and be active.
• Legal: The Coalition has filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Testimony has been given and dozens of supporting documents have been provided.  Kaiser cannot suspend National Agreement negotiations nor precondition those negotiations on a new Partnership Agreement.
• Political Outreach: Kaiser’s bad faith negotiations tactics have concerned a large number of political leaders and they have communicated their concerns to Kaiser leadership. We are reaching out to all political leaders to update them on Kaiser’s refusal to bargain with over 80,000 union members and their anti-union behavior.
• Purchasers: The Coalition has already organized union representatives covering over 1 million Kaiser customers to send letters to Kaiser expressing concern about their behavior.

We are confident that our unity and strength will get Kaiser to come back to the table and negotiate a new National Agreement that our members deserve.

Purple up on July 4!

A note on actions