PAGE 4 | September 6, 2019 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
...Kaiser
From Page 1
company and a network of hos-
pitals and clinics. Kaiser has had
a special relationship with unions
over the years, and up to two-
fifths of Kaiser’s 12.3 million
members are in households that
get their health insurance through
a union.
Leaders of the Coalition of
Kaiser Permanente Unions have
been putting out word that
Kaiser is no longer the union-
friendly partner it has promoted
itself to be under a two-decade-
old labor-management partner-
ship agreement. The union lead-
ers say Kaiser has been
outsourcing and automating
union jobs, understaffing facil-
ities, and raising patient premi-
ums, and is now seeking to re-
duce worker wages and benefits
in union contract negotiations.
“There’s no question about it:
Kaiser has lost its way, from a
corporation geared toward part-
nership to one solely focused on
inflating profits and enriching top
executives,” said Sean Wherley,
spokesperson for SEIU United
Healthcare West, the largest of
the coalition unions. “Workers
want to get the partnership back
on track. They want Kaiser to put
patients and workers first, and re-
turn to the mission of being a
non-profit community based
health system.”
Kaiser paid its CEO Bernard
Tyson $16 million in 2017, the
most recent year for which IRS
non-profit disclosures are avail-
able. That’s more than Nike paid
its CEO that year. Kaiser also
paid 35 other executives more
than $1 million in 2017.
And yet in union contract ne-
gotiations, Kaiser is asking for
multiple take-aways and is
pushing proposals that would
create division between new
hires and incumbent workers,
and between workers in Califor-
nia and other Kaiser regions.
For starters, SEIU says Kaiser
proposed that new hires no
longer get a defined benefit pen-
sion. Kaiser spokesperson
Michael G. Foley wouldn’t con-
firm or deny that Kaiser initially
proposed that, and said via
email that the news media isn’t
an appropriate venue for back
and forth bargaining. But Kaiser
is proposing to eliminate — for
new hires only — its promise of
retiree health insurance subsi-
dies. It’s also proposing to pay
some new hires 15% less for
three years while they learn on
the job. It’s proposing to in-
crease health insurance co-pays
for all workers. And it’s propos-
Staff
Charlie Johnson, Business Manager/FST
Shawn Eckelberry, Business Representative
Josh McClaughry, Business Representative
Joe Harris, Business Representative
Vanessa Steward, Business Representative
Brian Noble, Business Development
Darrin Boyce, Business Development
Russ Benton, Business Development
Emmy Keever, Office Manager
Lisa Bloker, Secretary
Calli Moore, Secretary
Zoe Hoyt, Secretary
ing different raises depending
on region: California workers
would get raises of 3% a year,
but Oregon workers would get
2% and Colorado workers
would get as little as 1%.
The Coalition of Kaiser Per-
manente Unions has said no to
“Kaiser has lost its way,
from a corporation
geared toward partner-
ship to one solely
focused on inflating
profits and enriching
top executives.”
— Sean Wherley,
SEIU UHW spokesperson
all of those concessionary pro-
posals, and is proposing annual
wage increases of 3 and 4%
across all of Kaiser’s territory.
It’s also proposing contract pro-
visions that would halt outsourc-
ing and limit any automation that
results in worsened patient care.
Cindy Vanderveer, a phle-
botomist at Kaiser Sunnyside
Medical Center and a member
of SEIU Local 49, says she’s
seen up close how Kaiser
staffing cuts have pinched pa-
tient care: When she started five
years ago, Sunnyside had seven
phlebotomists on her night shift.
Now there are three.
Workers across the Kaiser sys-
tem have similar stories of Kaiser
cutting corners on labor costs. In
California, Kaiser has outsourced
several hundred union jobs, in-
cluding shuttle drivers, parking
lot attendants, warehouse work-
ers and couriers. At its Interstate
campus in North Portand, Kaiser
replaced its popular healthy food
cafeteria with vending machines,
and laid off about 15 members of
SEIU Local 49.
Local 49 President Meg
Niemi says her members who
work in patient registration can
face discipline if they don’t push
patients to use kiosks to check
themselves in.
“We all know where that
leads,” Niemi said. “The day
may come when you show up at
Kaiser Permanente and your
only choice is to try to check in
with the kiosk.”
Vanderveer — who serves on
the national bargaining team —
said the vote to strike was not a
decision that workers made
lightly: “Kaiser left us no
choice,” Vanderveer said.
“Kaiser needs to do the right
thing. They need to invest in their
patients and employees.”
Kaiser vice president John
Nelson called the strike vote
“counterproductive and simply a
Officers
Dustin Hysmith, President,
Devin Hosking, Vice President
Michael McIntyre, Recording Secretary
Thomas Belezos, Warden
Glenn Larimer, Conductor
Trustees
Justin Bigelow
Eric Clayton
Todd Stevens
Doug Haase
bullying tactic” in an Aug. 13
public statement. “SEIU-UHW
leadership is more interested in a
power play to position them-
selves vis-a-vis other Kaiser Per-
manente unions,” Nelson wrote.
The other unions Nelson was
likely referring to are 22 local
unions totaling 47,000 Kaiser
workers that withdrew from the
decades-old CKPU coalition in
March 2018 after internal con-
flicts with the leadership of its
largest member, SEIU United
Healthcare West. The breakaway
unions formed their own coali-
tion, the Alliance of Health Care
Unions, and reached a multi-
union agreement with Kaiser in
September 2018 after months of
tense bargaining. Northwest lo-
cals in the Alliance of Health
Care Unions include Oregon
Federation of Nurses and Health
Professional Local 5017-Ameri-
can Federation of Teachers, and
UFCW Local 555.
Niemi says in the Northwest,
members of the two coalitions
have maintained good relations:
“I have commitments from
UFCW and OFNHP that they
will do everything they legally
can to support our members in
case of a strike.”
The two sides haven’t met to
negotiate since July 11, but are
scheduled to meet again for ne-
gotiations on Sept. 16.
Executive Board
Art Himm
Jared Bonney
Steve Stewart II
Ed Dawes
William Willman
Troy Rolfe
Logan White