Union nurses at 21 Northern California Kaiser Permanente facilities had been set to strike on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 21 and Nov. 22

More than 21,000 registered nurses and nurse practitioners at 21 Kaiser Permanente facilities in Northern California, have reached a tentative agreement with management today, averting a two-day strike that was set to begin on Monday, Nov. 21, which would have made this the biggest private-sector nurses strike in U.S. history, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) today.

Kaiser registered nurses and nurse practitioners in Northern California have been in negotiations since June 2022. On Sept. 1, nurses at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (LAMC) joined their Northern California nurse colleagues in holding informational pickets for a total of more than 22,000 nurses.

The Northern California RNs and NPs will vote to ratify the new four-year contract over the next few weeks. See below for a list of facilities.

“We are very pleased with this new contract, which will help us recruit new nurses and retain experienced RNs and nurse practitioners, said CNA President Cathy Kennedy, RN in the neonatal ICU at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center. "We not only won the biggest annual raises in 20 years, but we have also added more than 2,000 positions across our Northern California facilities. This will ensure safe staffing and better patient care."

Highlights of the contract include:

• Health and safety provisions to ensure nurses get the highest level of personal protective equipment, including the requirement to maintain a three-month stockpile of PPE, screening for infectious disease, and having the same PPE when caring for patients who are confirmed or suspected of having Covid.
• Comprehensive workplace violence prevention provisions, including expanding workplace violence prevention plans to all sites, including hospitals, clinics, parking structures, and other sites; an investigation process for incidents of workplace violence, and trauma counseling for nurses.
• More than 2,000 new registered nurse and nurse practitioner positions, including 1,200 new graduate positions, 400 in specialty training, 300 float pool nurses, 80 acute reentry nurses, 50 NPs, and 80 outpatient positions.
• Investment in education: Increased tuition reimbursement for education so nurses can continue expanding their knowledge and skills.
• Economic gains and health benefit provisions to help retain and recruit experienced nurses, including no takeaways for pensions or retiree health. The agreement includes wage increases over four years.
• Equity and inclusion provisions, including the creation of a new regional Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee comprised of two nurses from each facility to address systemic racism within the health care system, demographic reporting to CNA, and a commitment to a workplace free from racism and discrimination.
• Patients first language, including agreement that health care is a human right, and that we must end racial and ethnic disparities in health care outcomes, promote the delivery of culturally competent care, and expand the diversity of our health care workforce.

"With this new agreement, we will create a new regional Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee to address systemic racism within the health care system," continued Kennedy. "It is a long time coming. I am thrilled that Kaiser is committed to a workplace that is free from racism and discrimination and that Kaiser also agrees that we must fight racial and ethnic disparities in health care outcomes."

Registered nurses at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center also reached a tentative agreement today, and will vote to ratify the contract on Tuesday, Nov. 22.

California Nurses Association represents more than 22,000 nurses at 22 Kaiser facilities.

KAISER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FACILITIES
East Bay
Antioch Medical Center, 4501 Sand Creek Rd., Antioch, CA 94531
Fremont Medical Center, 39400 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA 94538
Oakland Medical Center, 3600 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611
Richmond Medical Center, 901 Nevin Ave., Richmond, CA 94801
San Leandro Medical Center, 2500 Merced St., San Leandro, CA 94577
Vallejo Medical Center, 975 Sereno Dr., Vallejo, CA 94589
Walnut Creek Medical Center, 1425 S. Main St., Walnut Creek, CA 94596

North Bay
San Rafael Medical Center, 99 Montecillo Rd., San Rafael, CA 94903
Santa Rosa Medical Center, 401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa, CA 95403

San Francisco/South SF
San Francisco Medical Center, 2425 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94115
South San Francisco Medical Center, 1200 El Camino Real, South San Francisco, CA 94080

Roseville, Sacramento, Vacaville
Roseville Medical Center, 1600 Eureka Rd., Roseville, CA 95661
Sacramento Medical Center, 2025 Morse Ave., Sacramento, CA 95825
South Sacramento Medical Center, 6600 Bruceville Rd., Sacramento, CA 95823
Vacaville Medical Center, 1 Quality Dr., Vacaville, CA 95688

South Bay/Peninsula
Redwood City Medical Center, 1100 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063
San Jose Medical Center, 250 Hospital Pkwy., San Jose, CA 95119
Santa Clara Medical Center, 700 Lawrence Expy., Santa Clara, CA 95051

Central Valley
Fresno Medical Center, 7300 N Fresno St., Fresno, CA 93720
Manteca Medical Center, 1777 W. Yosemite Ave., Manteca, CA 95337
Modesto Medical Center, 4601 Dale Rd., Modesto, CA 95356

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and nearly 225,000 RNs nationwide.