Kaiser, Mental Health Workers Avert Strike

A tentative agreement has been reached between mental health workers and Kaiser Permanente, averting a strke that was scheduled to start today.

According to Kaiser, the agreement was reached thanks to intense negotiations over the last 48 hours led by Darrell Steinberg, former California State Senate President Pro Tem, acting as mediator.

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Kaiser reports that the following modifications were made to its last, best and final offer:

• After 4 years of no wage increases, wages will increase 6% in year one of the contract, 4½ % in year two, and 4 ½% in year three– versus the 6%, 3%, and 3% in the last best and final.
• Creating a joint committee to review the pension benefits and explore alternative retirement income programs to control costs and liabilities for new employees
• Granting additional steward education days annually

Other important points in the new contract include:

• An expectation that therapists will meet an increased standard for the amount of time spent seeing patients in individual appointments
• Approximately $5,000 or up to 5% in performance bonuses tied to organizational goals for greater access and improved care specifically in years 2 and 3 of the contract.
• Ability for Kaiser Permanente to utilize community and outside therapists and referral resources to ensure timely access for all patients
• Enhanced bilingual pay differential for the therapists to help further support our commitment to the communities we serve
• Collaborative teams for staff to provide input to improve our mental health services and professional practice environment
• Employee contributions to employee and retiree medical benefits

“The agreement demonstrates that Kaiser Permanente and our mental health professionals have a shared commitment to our members,” said Don Mordecai, MD, Kaiser Permanente Northern California regional director, Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Services. “This tentative agreement reflects that after prolonged negotiations with NUHW we have been able to work through our disagreements, and ultimately agree on common goals that are in the best interests of our members, employees and our entire organization.”

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NUHW members will be voting to ratify the new contract over the next month.

“Kaiser has opened the door to a positive working relationship with us with the goal of providing timely, quality care to our patients by hiring hundreds more mental health professionals,” President of the union’s Northern California chapter of Kaiser mental health clinicians Clement Papazian said in a statement. “It’s a positive first step,” Papazian’s statement said.

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--Bay City News contributed to this report; Image via Kaiser Permanente