Contracts & Bargaining
Kaiser Permanente Association of Southern CA Optometrists (KPASCO)
KPASCO bargaining team: Bottom row, from left to right, Mayra Berdugo, OD, KPASCO 2nd Vice President; Mandy Hartz, lead negotiator; Sabreen Onallah, OD, KPASCO Secretary; and Greg Lutz, RN, UNAC/UHCP KPASCO Staff Representative. Top row, from left to right, Karen Santillan, OD, KPASCO Contract Specialist; Gene Chang, OD, KPASCO Parliamentarian; Cecilia Rivas, OD, KPASCO Bargaining Team member; and David Huang, OD, UNAC/UHCP Staff Representative.
Bargaining Report
We met with management on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 and discussed several key issues.
Management presented counterproposals on:
• Scheduling Earned Time Off (ETO)
• New Hire Transfer
• Per Diem Minimum Commitment
KPASCO responded with a counterproposal on:
• Scheduling Earned Time Off ( ETO)
We had extensive discussion about the ETO scheduling process. Management was hesitant to provide an explanation for denying time off, maintaining that it is a management right.
Unfortunately, we did not reach any new Tentative Agreements during this session and there was no new movement on proposals regarding Saturday differentials, QBS, and floating. Our next bargaining date is still pending.
Stay updated and engaged! With unity, determination, and perseverance, we will win the best contract possible.
Bargaining Report
Many of you took personal time to join the picket line during the strike, standing in solidarity with our UNAC/UHCP family. Thank you for showing KP our resolve to fight for improvements in staffing and patient care, realignment of the Partnership and fair contracts that honor all of our UNAC/UHCP members.
This week in bargaining our team pressed forward to resolve the open bargaining issues. We did make progress, securing meaningful improvements on several matters including bereavement leave, increased transparency, and commitments to Partnership.
Included in these improvements we are very pleased to announce that Tentative Agreement has been reached on the following:
These TAs represent positive steps in the direction of completing our next contract. However, there is work still to do. The issues that remain unresolved reflect the priorities most important to our members.
The unresolved issues include the following and we are waiting for management to respond to us about:
Member voices matter so much to our bargaining team and enhance our efforts to express to management why the changes we ask for are worth making. If you have a story that demonstrates how inadequate staffing or inability to use paid time off impacts your ability to care for our patients, please reach out to one of our KPASCO officers.
The next bargaining date is not yet set and is pending agreement between labor and management.
In Solidarity,
KPASCO Bargaining Team
Bargaining Report
On the evening of Friday, Sept 26, the employer proposed a disappointing package to us.
On Tuesday, Sept. 30 we responded to them with a comprehensive package of our own aimed to reach agreement on those issues most important to our members, while also responding to the employer’s priorities.
Unfortunately, the Employer’s most recent response to our proposal, given on Oct. 1, fails to adequately address our issues. Stay tuned for next steps.
Bargaining Report
This week in bargaining, on Thursday, September 4 our team and management passed evolving counter proposals across the table.
Counters we passed to management include:
Counters management passed to us include:
Thank you to Veronica Tea (Baldwin Park) who joined bargaining in person.
On Tuesday September 9 we are holding a KPASCO bargaining town hall meeting at 7pm. We strongly encourage you to attend this meeting to hear the most current information available on local negotiations and learn what you can do to ensure we win the strongest possible contracts.
Our KPASCO bargaining team on August 19 at Alliance National bargaining. Member Serena Lai is pictured at right.
This week in bargaining, on Friday, August 29 a flurry of counter proposals were passed across the table between our team and management.
Management’s counter proposals to us included:
Specifically regarding ETO we held extensive discussions to make clear our priority that members be better able to utilize our earned time off and to better utilize this benefit in a manner that is not so limited as it is currently. The status quo is a significant issue in many areas and we’re making some small, but meaningful improvements at the table.
Counter proposals passed by our team to management include:
We reached three Tentative Agreements regarding:
Our next bargaining date is scheduled for Thursday, September 4 at UNAC/UHCP headquarters in San Dimas. Our team is working hard to conclude negotiations on non-economic items next week so we can focus our collective efforts on economic and National Bargaining topics for the duration of these negotiations.
On Tuesday, September 9 we are holding a KPASCO bargaining town hall meeting at 7pm. We strongly encourage you to attend this meeting to hear the most current information available on local negotiations and learn what you can do to ensure we win the strongest possible contracts.
Join the town hall on Sept. 9 by clicking the button below.
Thank you to member observers Cathy Leventakis (Fontana), Karissa Paul (Ontario), and Susan Ung (Baldwin Park) who joined us in person on Friday, August 29.
September 4 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
KPASCO members are invited to join bargaining sessions in person as member observers. If you are interested in attending please sign up on MemberLink.
Bargaining Report
During the past few weeks through five days of bargaining held on July 29, 31, and August 8, 11, 14, our team continued to press management on many fronts to resolve priority issues.
To begin, we presented our Unity Petition to the management team and it was well received. The petition was signed by a supermajority of all UNAC/UHCP members including our Optometrists to demonstrate to Kaiser Permanente that we are united together with our colleagues across disciplines in this bargaining process, and we deserve to be appropriately valued for the work we do for our patients and community.
We are also pleased to announce that we reached Tentative Agreement (TA) on utilizing Gender Neutral Language throughout our contract.
Outside of this TA we continued the hard work of justifying improvements to matters our members highly value. Progress is not coming easily but we won’t be deterred.
In addition, we passed counter proposals to management regarding:
Management passed counters to us regarding:
Management wants to severely restrict the ability of optometrists to transfer into new positions, while we want to compensate those employees working in multiple locations. We are very far apart. Also, the employer continues to reject our proposal on a Saturday differential.
Following receipt of an ETO counter from management on a prior bargaining date we had a lengthy interest based discussion about the issue. In our estimation it is inadequate that we can’t utilize ETO in a way that best suits our needs. Even if we can manage to take ETO we don’t have the flexibility needed to utilize this benefit when we need or want to take it.
We also need to be able to utilize this benefit in a way that allows more OD’s the opportunity to take time off during high request periods. The process is simply not working well for the majority of our members as it currently stands. KP has expressed differences with our perspective and we continue to press for meaningful improvements through our ETO counter.
Our next bargaining session is Friday, August 29 at UNAC/UHCP HQ in San Dimas. Please join us in person if possible. The value of having member observers in the room with us during bargaining is exceptionally high. The more member observers we have with us the stronger our case is that we are united together to make this a better situation for our members. You can register to attend through your MemberLink account. If you don’t have a MemberLink account it is easy to create one and will give you access to a wealth of member only information from UNAC/UHCP.
Last but not least we want to thank the amazing members who have recently joined us in person as observers: Anne Lee (Downey), Bradley Urlik (Riverside), Corinne Wong (Riverside), Linda Pang (SBC), Susan Kim (Downey), Chandani Nanavati (Riverside), Anna Gettas (Antelope Valley), Negin Asemi (Orange County), Victor Seino (Orange County), James Yi (SBC), Keiko Kitamura (SBC), and Lucine Kalamdjian (Panorama City).
KPASCO Bargaining Update #4: July 11, 2025Bargaining Report
We’re pleased to share that a tentative agreement was reached on redefining the workweek as Sunday to Sunday, instead of the current Monday to Monday.
Both KPASCO and management came to the table with proposals aimed at addressing key priorities for our members and for operational needs. Here’s a snapshot:
KPASCO’s proposals focused on:
Management’s proposals included:
Thank you to all the observers who joined us during this week’s bargaining sessions: Shelley Phoun (LAMC), Jennifer Kim (PC), Diane Kawamoto (Downey), Lila Chu (Baldwin Park), Nicole Hamilton (Downey), Jade Vo (Fontana), Helen Kee (Fontana), and Stacey Lu (Baldwin Park). Your presence and support are always appreciated.
Our next bargaining sessions are scheduled for July 29 and July 31. We’ll continue advocating for improvements that reflect the voices and needs of our members.
Stay tuned, stay engaged, and thank you for your continued support.
Future Bargaining Dates
July 29 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
July 31 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
August 8 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
August 11 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
August 14 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
August 26 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
August 27 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
Join Us
KPASCO members are invited to join bargaining sessions in person as member observers. If you are interested in attending please sign up on MemberLink.
You are not required to stay the entire day. Feel free to join us when you can even if only for an hour or two, or all day, the choice is yours!
Charmaine S. Morales, RN, UNAC/UHCP President with the KPASCO bargaining team, April 30, 2025.
Bargaining Report
Over two days of bargaining this week on May 19 and 21 our team worked hard to build momentum, passing five proposals to management. Management also made two proposals.
Our proposals addressed:
Management’s Proposals:
Our approach to bargaining is to be as open and transparent as possible with management to highlight the various problems we are trying to solve. A lot of ground has been covered and we are planning to schedule a town hall in June to create an opportunity for the KPASCO membership to engage with our team and dive deeper into the many bargaining issues being addressed. More information about this will be sent to you once we have confirmed the details.
Our next bargaining session with management will be on July 10. We have worked hard to craft and pass a substantial number of proposals and expect management to use the ample time between sessions to prepare thorough responses.
Nine member observers joined us this week: Elizabeth Chen, Sarah Ting, Julie Hwang, Christopher Albaugh, Tara Vacharkulksemsuk, Hawna Chau, Janet Mach, Judy Fan, and repeat attendee Elaine Tu. Your support means so much to us!
Be sure to come out to our next bargaining sessions on July 10 and 11 held at the UNAC/UHCP offices in San Dimas. Please register on MemberLink. We hope to see you then!
Per Diem Survey
So far we have heard from approximately half of our per-diem ODs on this important per-diem survey. We want to hear from the rest of you! The survey remains open and we ask that you take a few minutes to register your responses.
As a reminder, during this bargaining management has expressed an interest in increasing the minimum Per Diem commitment. Your survey responses will help our team respond accordingly.
Bargaining Town Hall Coming in June
We are making plans to hold an informational town hall during the month of June.Our team will provide an update on bargaining and we look forward to responding to any questions you may have.
When a date has been selected we will send you notification including details for how to join the meeting.
Future Bargaining Dates
July 10 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
July 11 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
July 29 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
July 31 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
August 8 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
August 11 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
August 14 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
August 26 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
August 27 – UNAC/UHCP HQ, San Dimas
Join Us
KPASCO members are invited to join bargaining sessions in person as member observers. If you are interested in attending please sign up on MemberLink.
You are not required to stay the entire day. Feel free to join us when you can even if only for an hour or two, or all day, the choice is yours!
Bargaining Report
Our KPASCO bargaining team met this week on April 28 and 30 to continue bargaining our next contract with management.
Overall these sessions were positive and filled with robust dialogue about the interests identified by our team and management’s team including ways that we might improve scheduling and staffing to better allow ODs to use accrued time off when needed, a key interest of ours. We have now presented all of our interests in writing and are looking forward to working toward improvements in our next contract based on the identified issues.
We are pleased to announce the signing of our first Tentative Agreement (TA), reaching agreement on a rebrand of “Permanente Vision Services” to “Vision Essentials.” It’s a small step forward but pushes momentum in a positive direction.
Thank you to our member observers who joined us this week! Makkasen Em, Joseph Wu, Tony Dang, Tiffany Hoang, and Elaine Tu all joined us in person. We appreciate your support.
Be sure to come out to our next bargaining sessions on May 19 and May 21 held at the UNAC/UHCP offices in San Dimas. Hope to see you then!
Per-Diem Survey
Per Diem Optometrists, during negotiations, management has expressed an interest in increasing the minimum Per Diem commitment.
Thank you for supporting our bargaining team by answering six quick questions on our survey. Click here to take the survey.
Future Bargaining Dates
Join Us!
KPASCO members are invited to join bargaining sessions in person as member observers. If you are interested in attending please sign up on MemberLink. Bargaining typically begins at 9 a.m. and concludes by 5 p.m.
You are not required to stay the entire day. Feel free to join us when you can even if only for an hour or two, or all day, the choice is yours!
Make sure you are getting all the important information that comes along with bargaining our next contract. Memberlink (memberlink.unacuhcp.org) is our UNAC/UHCP member portal for filing a staffing objection, finding educational opportunities, signing up for trainings and conducting other union activities. Login to make sure your information is up-to-date.
If you need help updating your information, please call UNAC/UHCP’s Member Action Resource Center (MARC) at 1-877-506-4554.
Our KPASCO bargaining team on April 2: Bottom row, from left to right, Sabreen Onallah, OD, KPASCO Secretary, Mandy Hartz, lead negotiator, Mayra Berdugo, OD, 2nd Vice President. Top row, from left to right, David Huang, OD, UNAC/UHCP Staff Representative, Cecilia Rivas, OD, KPASCO Bargaining Team member, Greg Lutz, RN, UNAC/UHCP KPASCO Staff Representative, Marsha Vinson, OD, KPASCO President, Karen Santillan, OD, KPASCO Contract Specialist, Gene Chang, OD, KPASCO Parliamentarian.
Excellent first day
Our KPASCO bargaining team set a positive tone as we began local bargaining on April 2, 2025. Our team was energized and excited about making patient care and workplace improvements.
Looking forward
Our goal for the day was to establish how we will work with the Kaiser management team to bargain productively. We set the structure and ground rules, and then began the process of identifying shared interests.
Our next bargaining date is April 28 at UNAC/UHCP HQ in San Dimas. If you would like join us as an observer, please sign up on Memberlink.
Southern California Kickoff
We’re ready to work toward a contract that strengthens our labor-management partnership and ensures the best care for our patients. Nearly 30,000 registered nurses and healthcare professionals across Southern California are coming together to advocate for wages that attract, retain, and respect the dedicated professionals who keep Kaiser Permanente at the forefront of healthcare.
Representing registered nurses, pharmacists, rehab therapists, optometrists, dietitians, audiologists, health educators, and speech-language pathologists, we know that delivering high-quality care starts with safe staffing. When teams are fully supported, patients receive the best care, and professionals can work at the top of their licenses.
Almost all Southern California KP contracts expire on September 30, 2025. These negotiations are a key opportunity to strengthen our workforce, improve patient outcomes, and reinforce the partnership that has provided high-quality care to Kaiser Permanente patients.
Together, we are committed to solutions that support healthcare professionals, enhance patient care, and uphold our shared mission. Stay engaged—this is our moment to make a real difference.