An important message from Dennis Dabney, senior vice president, Labor Relations and Labor Management Partnership, Kaiser Permanente; Hal Ruddick, executive director, Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions; and Jim Pruitt, vice president, Labor Relations and Labor Management Partnership, The Permanente Federation:
Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions will begin national bargaining on March 30, 2015. These negotiations are likely to be the largest private-sector contract talks in the United States this year. Some 150 negotiators will assemble from all over the country to craft the new National Agreement, which serves as the union contract for more than 100,000 Kaiser Permanente workers represented by Coalition unions.
The Agreement, a full expression of one of the most comprehensive and successful labor management partnerships in the country, guides the work that we do to bring quality and affordability to our members and patients—and a culture of health, high performance, and continuous learning to our workforce.
This is the fifth full round of national-level bargaining since the Labor Management Partnership was created in 1997. Once negotiated and ratified, the new contract—covering workers represented by 28 union locals, as well as Kaiser Permanente managers and physicians—is scheduled to go into effect when the 2012 Agreement expires on Sept. 30, 2015.
As in past years, negotiators will use the distinctive interest-based bargaining process that guided national bargaining in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2012. Again, managers, workers, and physicians will sit together at the bargaining table as members of the Common Issues Committee, with many frontline union members observing the process.
Bargaining2015.org
We appreciate your interest in this process, and are committed to keeping you informed. Visit www.bargaining2015.org for background on interest-based bargaining, details on the bargaining calendar, and updates on bargaining teams and topics. Kaiser Permanente managers will receive an email update after each bargaining session, and Coalition union members will receive regular updates from the publication InsideOut.
Timeline
2015 Bargaining Schedule
| Kickoff meeting | March 30–April 1 | Orange County |
| Session 1 | April 14–16 | Los Angeles |
| Session 2 | April 28–30 | San Jose |
| Session 3 | May 12–14 | Los Angeles |
| Session 4 | June 2–4 | Los Angeles |
Union Delegate Conferences
Additionally, as part of the National Bargaining process, the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions will hold three National Delegate Conferences in 2015 for Kaiser Permanente workers representing Coalition unions throughout the organization:
| Union Delegate Conference | Session Dates | Location |
| Interest-Based Bargaining Training | Feb 6-7 | San Jose |
| Annual Delegate Conference | March 27-29 | Anaheim |
| Ratification Delegate Conference | June 16-17 | Los Angeles |
The Labor Management Partnership
Kaiser Permanente and the Union Coalition created the Labor Management Partnership in 1997 as a way to transform their relationship and the organization. It is the largest and longest lasting labor management partnership in the country, and is recognized for its unique approach and results, which are models for other healthcare organizations and unions.