Kaiser Permanente?s groundbreaking partnership with 29 unions pays off

This fall, Abernathy Associates helped the Coalition of Kaiser Unions win national coverage with an unusual news story: By joining with their 29 unions in a partnership, one of the nation?s largest healthcare organizations is improving patient care, raising profits, and minimizing employee turnover. Part of the proof is in a contract, approved September 30 by 92% of its union members who voted, that covers 82,000 employees, 29 local unions, and more than 400 facilities in eight states and the District of Columbia.

The new five-year agreement provides an annual average 4.5 percent wage and benefits increase, a range of performance-based bonus opportunities, an expanded range of retirement packages tied to organizational performance improvements, and an investment in a joint-training fund for workforce development. The agreement also covers topics such as membership growth, service quality, workforce development, work redesign and attendance ? topics rarely, if ever, negotiated in
traditional bargaining.

This second national agreement is the result of Kaiser Permanente?s unique Labor Management Partnership, created in 1997. It is the largest and most comprehensive partnership of its kind, credited with creating a high-performance workplace that has yielded superior health care and business results.