Healthcare workers strike in front of Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers go on strike from October 4 to 7 across the United States, in Los Angeles, California, October 4, 2023.
Aude Guerrucci | Reuters
More than 85,000 health workers have reached a tentative labor agreement with Kaiser Permanente as the Biden administration intervened in the negotiations, avoiding further strikes.
President Joe Biden expressed his support for organized labor and praised the health workers in a statement on Friday.
“Health care workers and support staff played a crucial role in sustaining our hospitals and nation during the challenging months of the pandemic,” said Biden. “They stood with us during one of the toughest periods in our history, and it is our duty to stand with them.”
Biden emphasized the effectiveness of collective bargaining, stating, “I have always believed that collective bargaining works. It benefits UPS drivers, dock workers, writers, and countless American workers who exercise their right to participate in a union.”
Presenting himself as the most pro-union president in American history, Biden recently showed support for the United Auto Workers by joining their strike against companies like Ford Motor, General Motors, and Stellantis.
Last week, tens of thousands of health workers from Kaiser hospitals and facilities went on strike to protest inadequate staffing levels and demand better pay. The strike, which lasted three days in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington state, was the largest healthcare worker strike in U.S. history.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions had threatened further strikes if their demands, particularly concerning staffing levels and job outsourcing, were not met by management.
Julie Su, acting labor secretary, arrives to testify during the House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing titled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Labor,” in the Rayburn Building on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
This week, the union coalition and Kaiser executives engaged in bargaining sessions. With the intervention of acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, they reached a tentative labor agreement to prevent further strikes.
The agreement includes a 21% salary increase over four years, with a minimum wage of $25 in California and $23 in other states. Additional provisions address outsourcing concerns and invest in tackling staff shortages.
Julie Su flew to California on Thursday evening to facilitate the agreement, according to the union coalition. Sarah Levesque, secretary-treasurer of OPEIU Local 2, expressed gratitude towards Julie Su and the Biden administration for their support of workers’ right to collective bargaining.
Biden also commended Julie Su’s contributions, stating, “She continues to play an integral role in helping my administration and workers across the country build an economy that benefits everyone.”
