By MALLORY GRUBEN
On Oct. 31, one day before a planned strike, SEIU Local 1199NW reached a tentative agreement for a local add-on to the Kaiser Permanente national contract. The union represents about 3,000 workers at 36 Kaiser facilities in Washington state. On Nov. 9, it joined 10 other locals in the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions in ratifying a national agreement that provides 21% raises over four years.
Nearly 75,000 members of coalition-represented unions walked out on the nation’s largest health care strike Oct. 4-6. Local 1199NW did not participate in the strike because its local agreement hadn’t expired yet. It also continued bargaining after a national agreement was reached on Oct. 13 because workers wanted a local add-on to bring Kaiser’s pay in line with other health care facilities in Washington. Combined with the national agreement, the local add-on provides 27% to 35% raises over four years for Kaiser workers represented by Local 1199NW. It expires Sept. 30, 2027, the same date as the national contract.
