Bargaining Update: November 20, 2025

Aloha UNAC/UHCP Hawaii Members,

As you know, many UNAC/UHCP bargaining teams met this week in Los Angeles with Kaiser. Unfortunately, we experienced more of the same tactics they’ve been using for the past few months. Kaiser is slow-playing these negotiations, attempting to wear us down. They are moving, but at a snail’s pace. We are not in a rush to get a bad deal. We must remain united and have the patience to win the contract you all deserve.

More bargaining dates are being added. Stay tuned to UNAC/UHCP’s emails and social media for the latest information and updates.

We have come too far and fought too hard to slow down now. Together, we will carry this across the finish line! Stay strong, stay loud, and stay united!

UPHI Bargaining Update #6: July 31, 2025

Last week at the bargaining table, we made a proposal on internal job bidding that would streamline the process for when vacancies become available. We also made a proposal on scheduling.

Join our upcoming townhall to learn more.

Next Townhall: September 4

Join our next Townhalll: Thursday, September 4 at 7 p.m.

Join us to discuss progress in negotiations directly with our bargaining team and negotiators.

Register at Memberlink below.

Memberlink

UPHI Bargaining Update #5: June 26, 2025

We made some big gains and dropped some big proposals in two days of bargaining this week.

On Wednesday, we won a tentative agreement on vacation bidding that achieved a lot of member interests:

• Ensures a third round of annual vacation bidding for all our members
• Modifies the process for PTO/vacation requests outside yearly bidding
• Eliminates the need for our members to wake up at midnight to submit PTO requests and adheres to the spirit of first come, first served for those requests made outside the annual bidding process

On Thursday, we proposed a wage grid and an article covering Pay Provisions and Hours of Work.

In these two proposals, we seek equal pay for equal work and are working on closing the wage gap between Hawaii and California.

Our proposal also includes improvements and expansions to differentials.

Tune in for the next bargaining town hall for details!

Hold the Date: July 23 Town Hall

Join our next Town Hall: Wednesday, July 23 at 7 p.m.

Join us to discuss progress in negotiations directly with our bargaining team and negotiators.

Register at Memberlink below.

Memberlink

UPHI Bargaining Update #4: May 27, 2025

We bargained twice last week, on Monday and Friday.

The interest-based conversations we had in the early bargaining sessions set us up for the progress we’ve made at the table since, including our current conversations around vacation bidding, where we believe we’re close to an agreement.

Other highlights from last week’s bargaining:

• We had a visit from Charmaine Morales, RN, UNAC/UHCP President.
• We proposed a zero premium share on health and dental coverage to align our contract with those in Southern California.
• We proposed some modifications to the grievance and arbitration article to clean up the language.

We’re working on a comprehensive proposal covering Pay Provisions and Hours of Work, which we plan to present at our next bargaining session.

UPHI Bargaining Update #3: April 10, 2025

Tentative Agreement: Seniority
Our UPHI bargaining team is pleased to announce that we have reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) on seniority! The Seniority TA clarifies current contract language, ensuring that seniority determined under the 2021 agreement will not be adjusted or diminished. The update also elucidates the definition of seniority for new UPHI members, ensuring they will not bypass current bargaining unit members.

It’s exciting to obtain this first TA and the achievement has created a pulse of energy that our team will use to press ahead.

In addition we have passed several proposals to management on other topics including education, tuition reimbursement, paid time off, vacation bidding, and lactation time in designated safe spaces.

We also agreed to a letter of understanding (LOU) with the Employer on updating the entirety of our contract to reflect gender-neutral language, the goal of which is to help all members feel welcome and included.

We are stronger together when we stand united!

Future Bargaining Dates
May 19 – Kaiser Mapunapuna Plumeria Conference Room
May 23 – Kaiser Mapunapuna Plumeria Conference Room

We encourage you to attend bargaining in person as an observer. If you would like join us as an observer, please sign up on Memberlink.

UPHI Bargaining Update: April 3, 2025

Our UPHI bargaining team (left to right): Jake Elsbernd, PharmD, lead negotiator; Marisa Kaluhiokalani, PharmD; Julia Jeffery, PharmD; Sherry Garrison, negotiator; Egbert (Bert) Kwok, PharmD.

Good Start
Our UPHI bargaining team spent our first two days of direct negotiations with management setting the tone for future bargaining. We agreed on ground rules and had productive conversations about what’s important to both teams. The interest-based bargaining process helped us arrive at mutual understandings about how to work on language that can lead to substantive agreements going forward.

The parties had in-depth discussions on vacation bidding and improving educational language.

Looking forward
In this first stretch of bargaining, we established how we will work with the Kaiser management team to bargain productively. Next week we plan to pass our first proposals across the table.

Our next bargaining date is April 8 at Kaiser Honolulu, Conference Room 2E. If you would like join us as an observer, please sign up on Memberlink.

UPHI Update: March 19, 2025

Our UPHI and UTH bargaining teams met the management bargaining teams for the first time on Wednesday, March 19.

Together, we received training in interest-based bargaining (IBB) from Cassandra Braun, Director of Learning and Education for the Alliance of Healthcare Unions, and Andrea Kubo, Manager of 5 Ewa at Kaiser MOA. Both have extensive experience training in the Labor-Management Partnership (LMP).

IBB is the process we use to bargain contracts with KP. It’s meant to be a collaborative approach in which we explore interests to find mutually acceptable solutions to issues facing either side during contract negotiations.

Join Us for Bargaining

• Tuesday, April 1 – Kaiser Honolulu, Conference Room 1BC
• Wednesday, April 2 – Kaiser Mapunapuna, Plumeria Conference Room
• Tuesday, April 8 – Kaiser Honolulu, Conference Room 2E
• Wednesday, April 9 – Kaiser Mapunapuna, Plumeria Conference Room
• Monday, May 19 – Kaiser Mapunapuna, Plumeria Conference Room
• Friday, May 23 – Kaiser Mapunapuna, Plumeria Conference Room

All bargaining sessions are open to all members. We typically bargain from 9 – 5, but some of the time is spent in caucus. If you would like to attend a bargaining session, please be advised you will be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. We encourage those who are interested to attend. Please reach out with any questions to UPHI@unacuhcp.org.