August 13th
Today, your local Common Interest Table has had its second session with Kaiser:
As a reminder, OFNHP members have been demanding Kaiser meet with the six bargaining units together to work on issues of importance to all of our tables. Following thousands of emails and a petition with over 2,000 member signatures, we got what we wanted: an opportunity to be heard together – one voice, one union!
Our first session on July 21st ended with a Tentative Agreement (TA) on Successorship, which was egregiously and unfairly retracted by KP only days later. Don't forget to add your name to the open letter to Greg Adams here to demand he honor the agreements made at the bargaining table and support the future of Kaiser!
Recommitment and Onward Movement:
Despite the unjust decision made by KP on the topic of successorship, today we made it clear to management that the issue remains a priority to OFNHP and its members, and we will continue to fight for contract language that protects our members' rights in case of any sale by the employer.
After recommitting to keeping the Common Interest Table an effective and efficient space to bargain, we quickly got to work on three additional shared interests: Attendance Policy, Bereavement, and Rest/Meal periods.
While we have further interests in regards to the Attendance Policy that we are requesting further conversation around, we're excited by our new TA that prevents absences related to non-industrial infectious recommendations by Employee Health from being counted against our members! Previously, absences following Employee Health protocols (such as COVID quarantine) could trigger joint discoveries, or even potential member discipline. This new language protects our members, and ultimately our patients, by ensuring fear of retaliation isn't a reason for people to come to work when it's not safe to do so.
We continued conversations around expanding Bereavement leave benefits, specifically around travel time criteria, total benefit time provided, and a more expansive list of qualifying relatives. We recognize that not all families look alike, but our members deserve adequate and fair time to grieve after the loss of those they love.
Lastly, we made additional progress on an agreement surrounding the ability to combine rest and meal breaks with recognition of Washington and Oregon state regulations. While we didn't reach a TA yet, we're optimistic we are moving closer to reaching something great for our members soon!
What do we do to keep the pressure on??
The strength and solidarity showed by so many of you throughout the entire "Week of Action" last week was heard loud and clear by KP leadership across the country!! But our fight is far from over, and we need every single member to keep up the good work:
- Red Up each and every Tuesday to show your solidarity!
- Please use this form to RSVP if you want to be an observer at our upcoming local bargaining sessions.
- If you're a steward, remember to attend the Alliance All-Stewards Council on Thursday August 28th at ILWU Local 8 (2435 NW Front Ave, Portland, OR 97209). Invites should come through your normal channels, and learn about important updates and next steps in bargaining for a fair contract!
July 31st
Kaiser Broke Its Promise – Time to Act!
We've been preparing for 2025 bargaining with Kaiser for years and your bargaining teams entered these negotiations with serious intent. Intent to strengthen income security, improve working conditions, and protect the contracts our families rely on. We've shown up prepared, patient, and committed to reaching a settlement that reflects the value of our work.
As you know, it was your pressure, your actions, your visibility, and your solidarity that forced Kaiser to finally come to the local Common Issues table. On July 21st, we sat down, engaged in interest-based conversations, and ended the day with four tentative agreements.
After months of gridlock, it finally felt like progress. But then...
Just days later, without any explanation, Kaiser walked back the tentative agreements.
They retracted our agreement on what’s known as “successorship.” It provides basic protections for all of us and our patients if Kaiser sells to another organization. By canceling this agreement, it raises serious questions about Kaiser’s business plans for the Northwest.
This isn’t just disappointing — it’s a betrayal. It disrespects OFNHP members’ commitment to quality care and undermines the Labor-Management Partnership. Last week, national management pledged to help move local tables forward — and then immediately reversed the very first agreements we made. And on an issue so vital to our members and families. Simply put... it’s shameful.
We will not allow this to go unanswered.
We are proceeding with caution and intention. OFNHP is calling on Kaiser CEO Greg Adams to intervene and to either give the people in the room bargaining authority or send the people who can make real decisions, people whose word actually means something.
Here’s what you can do right now to show our solidarity. Most importantly:
Click HERE to add your name to an open letter to Kaiser CEO Greg Adams.
This Friday, August 1st, join us for an URGENT Town Hall on the state of Kaiser negotiations: use this link to join at 6:30 p.m. this Friday: us this zoom link to join.
And, next week:
- Join our Rally and bring your friends and family on August 7th. Let’s show Kaiser what solidarity looks like.
It’s also important to:
- Wear Red every Tuesday and on all Red-Up Days.
- Sign up here to Observe National Bargaining (August 5–7). Even coming for one to two hours makes a difference.
Stay tuned, we’ll be sharing more information as this unfolds. This moment requires all of us. When they show us who they are, we show them who we are.
We are OFNHP. We are committed, stronger, and more united. We must stand together to win the contract we deserve.
In Solidarity,
Sarina Roher, RN
President, Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals
July 21st
For months, OFNHP members have been demanding Kaiser meet with all of our units together to work on issues of importance to all of our tables. We’ve sent emails and we’ve circulated petitions. We wanted to be heard together– one voice, one union!
Today, our solidarity paid off! Around the table, representatives of all six OFNHP bargaining units at Kaiser met at a facilitated bargaining table with senior regional HR managers. OFNHP had our list of problems we would like to work on, management brought theirs.
First Topic: Successorship
Our members have built KP’s success through Partnership, and as such OFNHP members should expect that their contracts will not be voided by a corporate transaction (like when Providence and Legacy sold off their labs to LabCorp). When we brought this issue to our common table, all united, we were met with agreement!
Today, we reached a verbal Tentative Agreement on new successorship language (a copy-paste from the RDH and Tech contracts) for the RN, ONA, LabPro, and Professional bargaining units! This new agreement ensures that if there is a successor employer, the contract will stay in place for those workers and this must be a condition of the sale transaction– making our wages, benefits, and working conditions more secure in uncertain times.
There are other topics on our list that we intend to make progress on in this kind of a fashion where there is clear, obvious alignment among our bargaining units where there are shared problems facing OFNHP members and KPNW. Together, we are stronger. And united, we win!