National Labor College will establish Kaiser institute to teach unionists

Kaiser Permanente and the coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions have donated $450,000 to the National Labor College (NLC) in Silver Spring, Md. The grant will fund the Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Institute, a program dedicated to educating labor leaders and union members on healthcare issues.

Kaiser Permanente entered into a unique labor-management partnership 10 years ago. Today, the partnership involves more than 120,000 union, management and physician employees, including members of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), an AFT Healthcare affiliate.The partnership is credited with creating a workforce focused on enhancing quality of care and service, improving frontline performance, and making Kaiser Permanente facilities better places to work.

Kathy Geroux, OFNHP president, says the grant is a shared investment between Kaiser and the coalition of unions. “It is pretty amazing to have an employer who sees the value of labor education and is willing to invest in it,” says Geroux.

“Kaiser Permanente has a long-standing commitment to providing coordinated, quality healthcare to workers and their families, a mission that has been sustained by our solid relationship with the labor community,” says Arthur Southam, the Kaiser Permanente executive vice president of health plan operations.

The institute will include courses focusing on healthcare bargaining and issues affecting the healthcare industry in the global economy. College officials will make the courses available individually, but they are also considering plans to create a curriculum that can lead to a certificate in healthcare.

Kaiser officials say the institute will promote understanding of the challenges facing the healthcare system, and provide labor leaders and other students with the knowledge and skills for driving the effort to make affordable, quality healthcare available to every American.

In addition, the institute will sponsor healthcare conferences on key issues. The first conference is being planned for October.

“Workers today face a complex and fast-paced healthcare industry, insurance options that frequently change with the market, and a growing need to understand the healthcare industry when they sit at the bargaining table,” said Susan Schurman, president of the National Labor College. “Thanks to Kaiser’s support, we are delighted to be able to offer this important curriculum to our students.”

For more information about Kaiser Permanente, go to www.kaiserpermanente.org. To learn more about the National Labor College, visit www.nlc.edu/index.html.