Dear SEIU 105 Members,
Below are two important updates regarding what happened in national bargaining this week from the SEIU 105 Bargaining Team members that were in California this week and a Statement from the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions that shows what we stand for and provides some factual context on what happened with the departure of some unions from the Coalition on Monday. We will provide additional information as this situation develops.
In Unity,
Ron Ruggiero, President, SEIU 105
First Update – SEIU 105 Bargaining Report from California
Faced with confusion and division caused by the other unions’ sudden departure from the Coalition, Kaiser management did not know what to do and cancelled negotiations this week. The Coalition remains united, 83,000 strong—and with nearly twice as many members as the unions who left.
We also want our members to know that our rights and benefits are protected. The National Agreement does not expire until September 30, 2018 and our Local Union contract does not expire until September of 2019.
We know that as we move forward that our members will be ready to fight for a great contract. We understand that our strength is in numbers.
Our Coalition left this week with a very simple message for Kaiser to hear: It’s Time to Bargain. Stay tuned for future weekly actions as we show Kaiser that we remain strong and united and that we deserve a great contract.
–Becky Torres, Vice-President of Healthcare
–Shelly Fowlkes, Secretary-Treasurer
–Pat Johnson, Executive Board Member
–Maria Vasquez, Executive Board Member
–Melissa Rapier, Executive Board Member
–Ron Ruggiero, President
Second Update – From Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions
What we’re fighting for:
We are committed to negotiating the best possible National Agreement that protects all our benefits and rights and includes economic improvements such as:
• Strong raises – that are equal across regions
• Increased pension multiplier and change pension hours
• No takeaways on health plans
• KP Washington with full National Agreement
• Insourcing and the end of subcontracting
How we work together:
We have always believed in—and strived for—consensus. For 20 years, we have been able to make 99.9% of our decisions together as unions, by consensus. This is still true with the Coalition we have today.
Our Coalition has grown and changed in many ways. Because of these changes, we have advocated to update our Coalition decision-making structures to make sure that all Coalition unions are heard and—if we cannot reach consensus—we have a clear way to make decisions and achieve our goals.
All Coalition unions—locals in SEIU, OPEIU, AFSCME (UNAC/UHCP), AFT (OFNHP/ONA), UFCW, IBT, IFPTE, IUOE, KPNAA, ILWU and UNITE HERE—had agreed that in 2018 National Bargaining, if we were unable to reach consensus, we would accept agreement from 70 percent of the represented union members.
For other day-to-day decisions, we believe a two-thirds (66%) super-majority would be a fair way to move forward into the future that is democratic and protects the voice of all unions. Under this structure, there is no way for one union—even one as large as SEIU-UHW—to make decisions without significant support from other unions.
