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.