Kaiser Permanente employees ratify contract two months after strikes; Pueblo workers react
Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers recently ratified a new contract with the company a few months after they went on strike in Colorado and other states.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions announced last week that 98.5% of its 85,000 workers voted to ratify a four-year contract that addresses concerns some of them shared before striking in October.
The contract runs until Sept. 30, 2027, and is retroactive from Oct. 1 this year.
The ratification comes nearly a month after both parties reached a tentative agreement on the pact, which was announced shortly after the end of the three-day strikes that involved tens of thousands of workers in multiple states.
Health care workers in Kaiser Permanente’s Pueblo facilities participated in those strikes last month. Some of them spoke about the company's staffing shortages and how it affected patient care and their ability to take time off.
“Our bargaining team did an amazing job and we got a really good contract,” Alyssa Guidry, a nine-year Kaiser employee who works out of Kaiser’s Pueblo North facility, told the Chieftain. “It’s the best contract that our union has ever negotiated, so it's a day to celebrate, for sure.”
Guidry said other workers at Kaiser Permanente's Pueblo facilities also expressed excitement about the new contract.
Guidry during the strikes said she felt Kaiser’s hiring practices were “broken” and that the company leaves positions unfilled or takes too long to hire people. Christina Banuelos, a 14-year Kaiser employee who works in Pueblo, said then that the staffing woes force patients to wait months for an appointment.
The agreement, however, seeks to remedy that. The deal includes language that Kaiser will invest in its workforce by “proactively” addressing vacancies. Guidry said she’s unsure at this time how Pueblo’s facilities might benefit from the new contract but it’s clear Kaiser recognizes its staffing shortages are an issue and the next step is to “find solutions.”
The deal also gives workers 21% wage increases over the next four years, some protections from outsourcing and subcontracting and funding for their education and career development. They are also eligible to receive performance-related bonuses if Kaiser meets certain benchmarks.
The pact also sets the minimum hourly wage at $23 for employees in states except California where there are Kaiser union members.
Guidry, who lauded Pueblo’s support of the workers’ strike in October, reiterated that belief Monday, saying that she was “taken aback” and “proud” of all the support strikers received during that time. Community members and several of Pueblo's elected leaders joined them on the picket lines.
“That is definitely something that shines a light on why we were striking,” Guidry said. “Having that community support was fantastic.”
Caroline Lucas, executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, in a statement called the deal a “victory” for “Kaiser’s patients and employees and all frontline healthcare workers and those who rely on them in our moments of need.”
Kaiser in a statement said the agreement and those approved by local unions “will help ensure we remain a best place to work and receive care.”
More: Pueblo sheriff's office employees seek to unionize; may vote on it as soon as this month
Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Kaiser Permanente employees celebrate new union contract
