Kaiser Continues to Ignore Staffing Crisis & Partnership

Kaiser Continues to Ignore Staffing Crisis & Partnership

KP execs refuse to honor our contributions

For the past year, we’ve called on Kaiser Permanente to partner with us to address the staffing crisis. We’ve told KP management that increasing pay is a key part of fixing the staffing crisis. KP refuses to reopen our contract to address ATB raises to reflect the dramatic change in inflation, the labor market, employee morale, and staffing shortages that have occurred since 2021. KP says they will not make the changes needed to address the current staffing crisis and does not acknowledge how conditions have changed since two years ago. KP’s response does not reflect partnership or a commitment to employees. Kaiser Permanente executives continue to bury their heads in the sand about what our members are experiencing.

At a time when the CDC is calling on healthcare systems like Kaiser Permanente to take immediate steps to address worker burnout, KP refuses to honor our contributions.

In a recent Alliance survey:

  • 95% said the staffing crisis is affecting patient care and access.

  • 90% said the staffing crisis has increased stress and impacts our mental health.

  • Increasing wages and improving working conditions were the top two solutions to address the staffing crisis.

Our survey results showed what many of you already know - the staffing crisis at KP is dire and demands an urgent comprehensive response. And yet Kaiser Permanente refuses to take tangible actions to address the staffing crisis with wage increases and improved working conditions.

We must continue to push KP at the national level and at the front lines to do the right thing and WAGE UP! If we want to be competitive and provide the care and service our patients deserve, KP needs to act now! Join us and call on KP to Wage Up, Staff Up, and Partner Up, today. (More to follow)

Lump Sum Update

Our Alliance-KP National Agreement calls for a 2% lump sum effective this October, based on earnings in the prior 26 pay periods. As is unfortunately typical of KP’s flawed HR connect system, it is taking KP a long time to calculate the correct payments. KP has told us you should expect to see your lump sum on either November 10 or November 17 depending on the pay period cycle in your region.

The lump sum will be based on actual earnings during the 26 pay periods of the prior contract year, including base pay, overtime pay, differentials, sick and vacation pay, etc. The calculation does not include bonus and benefit payments. It is based on actual earnings, not FTE status, so employees who worked extra hours above their status will see those earnings included in the calculation.

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