Union workers reach a tentative deal with Kaiser Permanente after the largest-ever US health care strike

Kaiser Permanente reached a tentative deal with the unions representing 75,000 employees, following the largest-ever health care strike in US history.

"The frontline healthcare workers of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are excited to have reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente," the union coalition said on X. "We are thankful for the instrumental support of Acting US Labor Secretary Julie Su."

The company also thanked Su its tweet about the deal.

"We are excited to have reached a tentative agreement with the frontline health care workers of the union coalition. We are thankful for the instrumental involvement of Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Su," it said in its tweet.

The strike last week lasted only three days, the length of time it had been scheduled to run. But the coalition of unions was threatening an eight-day strike next month with even more workers walking out if a new deal was not reached by October 31.

While a full picture of the tentative deal was not immediately available, some details were released Friday. According to the coalition, Kaiser Permanente management agreed to raise wages by 21% over four years in all Kaiser locations and establish a new health care worker minimum wage: $25 per hour in California and $23 per hour in other states where Kaiser operates.

At a news briefing with Su and representatives from Kaiser Permanente and the coalition of unions, Kaiser Permanente said it had agreed to accelerate hiring, furthering its commitment to address a critical staffing shortage that some employees said contributed to feelings of burnout.