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Kaiser First Contracts

Protecting Our Future: Safe Patient Care; Professional Respect

More than 1,200 health care professionals negotiating their first UNAC/UHCP contracts in California and Hawaii are facing proposed cuts to pay and long-standing health care and retirement benefits—protections that have existed for decades. After voting to join a union, these workers are being targeted with takeaways, a clear attempt by Kaiser to discourage them from demanding respect and a voice on the job.

Kaiser is proposing reductions to pensions, 401k contributions, health care benefits, education time, and vacation accruals.

Why This Matters to All of Us

“We’re not only fighting for fair treatment at work — we’re demanding the staffing, resources, and respect that make safe, expert care possible.”
— Charmaine S. Morales, RN, UNAC/UHCP President

If we accept these cuts now, we open the door to rollbacks for everyone in the future. This fight protects what we’ve built and secures a stronger future for all Kaiser health care workers.

Who’s Affected at Kaiser

More than 1,200 newly organized members are fighting for their first contracts:

  • NCAL PAs (620 physician assistants/associates)
  • NCAL CRNAs (175 certified registered nurse anesthetists)
  • NCAL CNMs (175 certified nurse midwives)
  • Hawaii CRNAs (50 certified registered nurse anesthetists)
  • NCAL Acupuncture Providers (part of NCAL rehab therapists) (69 acupuncture providers)
  • SCAL Child Life Specialists (11 child life specialists)

 

UNAC/UHCP First Contracts

"Stable anesthesia staffing is what keeps patients the safest. When you have turnover, when providers are burnt out or overworked, patients aren't as safe," Sanne Jacobsen, CRNA, Kaiser Oakland
Walter Fulgram Physician Assistant, Kaiser Santa Clara, Interventional Cardiology
For almost 15 years, I tried to change things from the inside. I believed that with persistence, collaboration, and a loud enough voice, we could fix the system. And in some ways, we did. But what I kept running into were massive discrepancies: Between departments, between sites… others, especially those in smaller departments… if they weren't vocal, they got less. If management turned over (and it did, a lot), policies changed on a whim. There was no consistency. No fairness." -Walter Fulgram, PA-C, Kaiser Santa Clara
"We are what makes Kaiser successful and we will continue to make Kaiser successful if they come to the table and bargain in good faith. We've accepted the status quo for so long, but people are fed up. Health care professionals go into the medical field to care for people in their community. The corporate machine has made it very difficult for people to do that. Because of that, it moves the focus away from what really matters, which is the patients," Steve Bazan, CRNA, Kaiser Moanalua
The acupuncture providers are part of the Northern California rehab therapists team.

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Kaiser’s Proposed Takeaways for Newly Organized Groups:

  • Reduced pension multiplier
  • Cuts to 401k contributions
  • Reduced health care benefits
  • Cuts to retiree health care
  • Reductions in education time and vacation accruals
  • Wage freezes
  • For Midwives: A 17% reduction in pay from their current hiring range and limits on professional autonomy

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