We met with management this week for the second time since our 5-day strike. Kaiser has clearly been trying to make the point that our strike didn’t change their position. Last week, they didn’t budge from their positions before the strike. They treated local bargaining as something to check off their to-do list rather than problems to solve.
I’m not surprised. Kaiser doesn’t want to publicly acknowledge that they don’t work unless we do. They don’t want to publicly acknowledge the level of disorganization inside those medical facilities during the strike or number of services that were not provided. They don’t want to recognize our real worth, and our power when we stand together.
This week, the mood has changed. Meetings that were little more than staring contests have started to look like real negotiations. We’re having more direct conversations as the Alliance about our next steps, and your OFNHP leadership is doing the same.
Rumors have been circulating that OFNHP and the Alliance are planning to submit a 10-day notice for another strike.
To be clear, we currently have no plans to submit a 10-day notice so long as we are making meaningful progress on our priorities at the bargaining table.
However, now is not the time to take our foot off the gas. We need to push back against Kaiser’s misinformation. We need to engage stakeholders in our communities to talk about why our members’ working conditions are patients’ healing conditions. We need to support each other by showing up.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT NATIONAL BARGAINING
Our on-the-record positions at the national bargaining table have not changed—and neither have Kaiser’s.
We’re still fighting for greater voice in scheduling (templates) to give us more quality time with patients, contract alignment across all Alliance bargaining units, a more balanced partnership that values labor, improvements to PSP, benefit equity and improvements, and fair wage increases.
We’ve been working with a mediator for the last few weeks without much to show for it. However, this week the mediator presented the Alliance and management with different “scenarios” that offer tradeoffs and solutions on all the outstanding issues on the national table. That’s normal at this stage in bargaining when both sides are stuck.
It’s too early to tell if those off-the-record scenarios will result in meaningful progress, but I’m cautiously optimistic. Because they’re off-the-record scenarios and not real proposals, there’s nothing to share.
Eventually those discussions will turn into official proposals and counterproposals. Once that happens, I will make sure to share it with you as soon as possible.
TENTATIVE AGREEMENT ON PAID LACTATION BREAKS
I’m also happy to report that we reached a tentative agreement on paid lactation breaks. The agreement provides 60-minutes of paid release time each shift for lactation breaks for up to a year after birth, along with comprehensive reviews in each region to ensure each region meets required standards.
Yes, it’s the kind of issue we shouldn’t have to bargain over, but we did. But it’s also the kind of issue that makes our working conditions more welcoming to working families, and I will always celebrate those wins.
ADDITIONAL NATIONAL BARGAINING DATES ADDED
National bargaining has been scheduled for next week on Tues. November 3, and Wednesday, November 4.
TURNING UP THE HEAT ON KAISER
We have several actions planned for turning up the heat on Kaiser. The worst thing we can do now is let the momentum and energy taper off. Effective campaigning means increasing pressure a little more every day.
You will see more information in the coming days hit your inbox on ways that you can participate. It’s critical that we all stay engaged, stay informed, and stay prepared to take action.
- We released a new radio and digital ad that calls out CEO Greg Adams for refusing to invest in high-quality patient care. Share on social media.
- We are organizing sign-ups for community leafletting. You can sign up here.
- We want you to continue making videos, including videos of yourself saying your name, what you do for work, and what you're fighting for, as well as other videos that many on the Communications Committee and Social Media Squad have been working on. Send videos you are willing to let us edit and use on social media to ItsMyUnion@ofnhp.org, and if you post on your own make sure to tag @OFNHP and use the hashtag #onevoiceonefightonefuture.
FROM PICKET LINE TO FINISH LINE
The strike showed Kaiser—and the public—how powerful we are when we act together. But power only matters if we use it consistently. The plan to win means staying mobilized, staying visible, and staying united.
Every message we send, every conversation we have, every show of unity keeps the pressure where it belongs: on Kaiser’s at every level. We didn’t withhold our labor just to make a point—we struck to make a difference.
We must keep pushing from the picket line to the finish line—until we win the fair contract our members, our patients, and our communities deserve.
In solidarity,
Sarina Roher, RN
OFNHP President