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KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / FEBRUARY 2015
Unite Here Local 5 members employed by Kaiser Permanente organized a six-day strike earlier this year to protest stalled
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Kaiser Permanente employees have ratified a new contract that gives 1,900 workers at 22 facilities in Hawaii at 2.5 percent wage increase this year.
After three years of often contentious collective bargaining, Kaiser’s unionized workers — including licensed practical nurses, medical assistants and housekeepers represented by Unite Here Local 5 — “voted overwhelmingly” to ratify an agreement that retains full pension coverage with no cuts to benefits and includes wage increases of 2.5 percent effective Oct. 1, 2015, 2 percent in each of the next two years and an additional 1 percent bump in 2018, Kaiser and the union announced Monday in a joint news release.
“After a difficult three-year contract dispute, both union members and the management team are highly motivated to work together and resolve issues,” said Eric Gill, head of Local 5, in the release. “All of us care deeply about providing the quality care our patients need, and this will help us work more effectively together to achieve that goal.”
The union organized a six-day strike in February — the first statewide strike for Local 5 Kaiser employees since 1986 — following objections to what it called low proposed wage increases and a proposal to eliminate guaranteed pensions for new employees, a sticking point in the collective bargaining.
Kaiser, the state’s largest health maintenance organization, closed 10 of its smaller clinics on Oahu and the neighbor islands during the strike and rescheduled elective procedures and nonurgent appointments while consolidating resources to its larger medical facilities. The union subsequently staged a number of rallies and marches protesting the stalled contract talks.
“We’re pleased to reach a fair agreement with Local 5 on behalf of our employees,” said Jean Melnikoff, Kaiser’s vice president of human resources. “This agreement helps Kaiser Permanente to remain sustainable in the long term and stay affordable for our members and customers. It also ensures that our employees will continue to receive highly competitive wages and benefits so that we can attract and retain the best people to care for our members and patients.”
