Health care workers gain 21% wage increase in pending agreement with Kaiser Permanente after historic strike

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Michael McQuarrie, Arizona State University

(THE CONVERSATION) The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions reached a tentative agreement with its employer on a new four-year contract on Oct. 13, 2023. They agreed following the largest documented strike of U.S. health care workers on record, which involved more than 75,000 workers in several states and the District of Columbia. A majority of the unions’ 85,000 members will need to approve the deal for it to become final. The voting began on Oct. 18.

The contract’s terms will make Kaiser “able to deliver on our mission of providing high quality, affordable and accessible health care to our members,” Kaiser Vice President and Chief of Human Resources Greg Holmes said.

The Conversation asked Michael McQuarrie, an Arizona State University sociologist who directs its Center for Work and Democracy, to explain what’s in the settlement and why it matters.

What are the terms of the...