OFNHP concerned about nurse recruitment

In early September, the coalition of Kaiser Permanente unions, which includes the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, an AFT Healthcare affiliate, approved a five-year agreement with Kaiser Permanente. The national agreement with local settlements went into effect Oct. 1.

The agreement is the fruit of Kaiser’s landmark Labor Management Partnership—the nations’ largest—which was created in 1997. It includes an expanded retirement package, across-the-board wage increases, performance sharing opportunities, and a significant new investment in a joint training fund for workforce development.

The union will work with the hospital to ensure that nurse salaries, which are already at the top of the market, stay competitive, says Kathy Geroux, president of OFNHP.

The labor-management partnership covers 82,000 employees in California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio and the Washington, D.C., metro region (District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia). The disaffiliation of several international unions from the AFL-CIO did not affect negotiations.

The agreement provides an annual average 4.5 percent wage and benefits increase. In addition, the agreement addresses the shortage of nurses and healthcare professionals.  The agreement can be reopened in three years to address across-the-board wage and retiree medical benefits.