Kaiser strikes deal with pharmacists union to avert labor strike

Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Health consortium Kaiser Permanente reached a tentative agreement Monday with thousands of pharmacists in Northern California to avoid a labor walkout, in just one of several disputes between the company and healthcare unions.

The company said it agreed to a three-year deal with the Guild for Professional Pharmacists. It includes wage increases each year, no reduction in health insurance benefits, retirement benefits, higher incentive bonus opportunities and agreement on operational matters.

The guild represents about 2,100 pharmacists in Northern California.

Monday's agreement follows a weekend of talks in which the company also reached a deal with the Alliance of Health Care Unions, which represents nearly 50,000 Kaiser Permanente employees.

The company is also in negotiations with other unions that have strikes planned for the end of this week.

"We are continuing to bargain in good faith with Local 39 Operating Engineers and the National Union of Healthcare Workers and are confident we will reach agreements with these unions very soon," Kaiser added.

The National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents about 4,000 mental health professionals, is planning a one-day strike Friday if no agreement is reached.

Local 39 Operating Engineers, which includes about 700 workers who maintain Kaiser's buildings, has already been on strike for a couple months.

The California Nurses Association, which represents 20,000 employees, is also planning a one-day strike Friday in solidarity with the engineers union.