The first thing to understand is that the vaccine mandate is established by state law, not through collective bargaining. We have no legal standing to oppose the mandate. We do have the power to bargain over the effects of the mandate, which we have done.
With our Alliance partners, we’ve bargained substantial improvements to Kaiser Permanente’s implementation of the vaccine mandate, including:
- Increased time to get vaccinated 45 to 60 days after September 30
- Health insurance benefits will continue for those on the 60-day leave
- Testing to be done on the clock at the worksite
- Up to 2 hours PTO to get each of the vaccinations
- 8 hours PTO in cases of adverse reaction to the vaccination
- The right to file Workers Comp claim for those with more severe adverse reactions
- Those who prefer not to be vaccinated may resign instead of being terminated