The largest strike of healthcare workers in U.S. history began Oct. 4. and lasted three days. Workers will vote to ratify an agreement in the coming weeks.
DENVER — A tentative agreement has been reached amidst the largest healthcare workers strike in United States history.
Kaiser Permanente and the unions representing 82,000 healthcare workers reached a tentative agreement on Thursday, following months of negotiations and a three-day strike that began Oct. 4, according to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 105.
SEIU, which represents 3,000 Kaiser Permanente workers in Colorado, announced the agreement early Friday morning.
SEIU said the agreement includes wage increases of 21% over four years, protections against outsourcing, a minimum wage increase for Kaiser workers in Colorado, a system for performance and growth sharing, investments in education and training funds, and increased medical benefits for retired employees.
9NEWS reached out to a Kaiser Permanente spokesperson Friday morning for a comment on the tentative agreement. As of the publication of this article, we have not received a response.
Kaiser Permanente workers will now vote to ratify the agreement in the coming weeks, said SEIU.
“This agreement is nothing short of historic,” said Stephanie Felix-Sowy, President of SEIU Local 105, “It’s a massive step in the right direction towards truly addressing the crisis in patient care and reducing wait times. Healthcare workers stood united. They went out on strike in record numbers. Now, they’ve won unprecedented raises and the protections and investment needed to begin safely staffing these facilities for quality patient care.”
“We fought and sacrificed for our patients, and together we won,” said Patricia Johnson-Gibson, Vice President of Healthcare at SEIU Local 105 and a Kaiser Permanente healthcare worker for the last 25 years, “We fought to keep healthcare workers from leaving Kaiser and to bring new folks in. We fought so patients don’t have to wait months for a simple procedure. We fought so we can do the work we love, provide the best care we possibly can, and not just survive, but actually thrive in Colorado. This is what happens when working people join together and fight. We make history, and everyone wins.”
SUGGESTED VIDEO: Full Episodes of Next with Kyle Clark
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER
Download the 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
ADD THE 9NEWS+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for “9news” to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
