NorCal Kaiser Pharmacists Reach Deal Hours Before Strike

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Just hours before a 10-day strike was set to affect nearly every Kaiser Permanente outpatient pharmacy in Northern California, the company struck a deal with the union that represents its pharmacists.

The health care giant said it agreed to a contract with the Guild for Professional Pharmacists around 1 a.m. Monday. The contract will guarantee higher bonus incentive opportunities and will include raises each year with no reduction in health benefits, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Union officials called off a strike that was expected to begin Monday, according to a news release. The union did not immediately respond to Patch for comment.

Kaiser previously urged its patients to fill prescriptions before Monday once the company received 10-day notice from the union representing pharmacists over the contract dispute.

"Previous strike plans by the Guild for Professional Pharmacists have been canceled and we are working to resume full operations of our pharmacies as quickly as possible," Kaiser Permanente said in a statement. "Our top priority is caring for our members and patients."

Ahead of the deal, the guild issued a statement decrying Kaiser's decision to wait until the last minute to negotiate a contract.

"The 10-day notice was a legal responsibility that the Guild fulfilled to give Kaiser the time they needed to: make plans and provide safe care for patients, to negotiate with us, and to do everything in their power to prevent this strike from happening," union officials said. "Kaiser has made no effort to resume negotiations. Even after the Guild sent them a communication clarifying our last position and willingness to come back to the bargaining table, we have been met with silence. No pharmacist walking out on Monday wanted to stop providing care for their patients and protest six weeks before Christmas, but the upper management at Kaiser has gone too far."

Kaiser's labor issues aren't resolved despite averting a pharmacist strike. Stationary Engineers Local 39 — a union representing some 700 structural and biomedical engineers — said it would continue with its own strike Monday. The union has picketed Kaiser since mid-September, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The deal reached with the pharmacist union came two days after the company agreed to another contract covering 22 labor unions representing health care workers on Saturday. That deal halted a massive strike planned for Monday that would have affected 366 hospitals in the Southland and 50,000 health care employees, according to Alliance of Health Care Unions spokesman Jeff Rogers.

It was set to become one of the largest strikes in recent Golden State history.

Health care workers were set to hit picket lines Monday to oppose what the unions called a two-tier wage system and dire staffing shortages spurred by the pandemic.

Last month, nearly one-third of all Golden State hospitals reported critical staffing shortages, CalMatters reported.

"This contract protects our patients, provides safe staffing and guarantees fair wages and benefits for every Alliance member," said Hal Ruddick, executive director of the alliance.

Kaiser backed down from its proposed pay system, which would have paid those hired after 2023 less than current employees and offered fewer health protections, the unions said.

Here's what was included in Saturday's tentative agreement, according to Kaiser.

• Guaranteed across-the-board wage increases each year through 2025.
• No reductions to family medical and dental coverage.
• The same retirement income benefits and employer-subsidized retiree medical benefits.
• Introduction of the Alliance Bonus Plan, which provides annual payouts for achieving new mutually agreed-upon objectives to address affordability.
• Opportunities for career growth and advancement.

READ MORE: CA Kaiser Strike Averted After Workers Reach Tentative Agreement

The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.