Kaiser Permanente has reached a four-year tentative agreement with around 22,000 nurses and nurse practitioners that includes plans for a 22.5% pay hike and increased staffing.
The proposed agreement was announced on Thursday by the California Nurses Association (CNA). According to the nurses’ union, the proposed 22.5% wage increase across the four-year contract period is the largest annual raise in two decades for Kaiser Permanente nurses.
The agreement put an end to what was shaping up to be the biggest strike by private-sector nurses in the annals of American history. Monday was to mark the beginning of a two-day strike by nurses employed at nearly two dozen Kaiser Permanente facilities.
In the coming days and weeks, union members who are employed at Kaiser facilities in Northern California will vote on whether or not to ratify the new contract. The registered nurses working at Kaiser’s Los Angeles Medical Center have also come to a provisional agreement and will vote on whether or not to approve it on the following Tuesday.
Increasing the number of nurses on staff, funding education, and taking action against workplace violence are all part of the deal’s framework. According to CNA’s estimates, Kaiser will increase its workforce of registered nurses and nurse practitioners by 2,000 as a result of the new contract. This will include 1,200 new graduate positions, out of which 400 would be in specialty training.
The contract has health and safety clauses that require the health system to keep a three-month supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and screen for infectious illnesses. Plans to prevent workplace violence will be expanded to cover all contract locations, such as medical facilities, parking garages, and office buildings. In addition, trauma counseling for nurses will be discussed, and an investigation process will be established to examine violent incidents in the workplace.
To encourage their nurses to keep learning and growing, Kaiser Permanente will increase their tuition reimbursement under the new agreement. Patient-centered language in the agreement underscores the importance of working to eliminate racial injustice in health outcomes, increase the diversity of Kaiser’s healthcare workforce, and improve access to quality healthcare for all.
“We are very pleased with this new contract, which will help us recruit new nurses and retain experienced RNs and nurse practitioners,” said CNA President Cathy Kennedy in a statement. “We not only won the biggest annual raises in 20 years, but we have also added more than 2,000 positions across our Northern California facilities. This will ensure safe staffing and better patient care.”
With a net income of $8.1 billion in the fiscal year 2021, Kaiser Permanente set a new company record. This year, however, the health system has encountered financial difficulties. For the quarter ending September 30, Kaiser Permanente incurred a net loss of $1.55 billion, nearly equaling the amount of net profit it had reported for the same period a year earlier ($1.56 billion).
The COVID-19 epidemic has had a particularly devastating effect on the nursing community. According to an Incredible Health survey, 34% of nurses intended to leave the field this year, with 44% citing high-stress situations and burnout as their reasons.
Also read, Doctor burnout at an all-time high shows Medscape report
