Kaiser Permanente reports Alliance Unions ratify new contracts to deliver wage increases, protect affordability

After nearly 11 months of negotiations, Kaiser Permanente announced the ratification of 52 collective bargaining agreements covering more than 61,000 employees represented by unions within the Alliance of Health Care Unions.

A key component of these agreements is a wage offer first presented in early October 2025, providing a 21.5% wage increase over the life of the contracts. With step increases and other factors included, employees will see wage growth of 30% on average over the length of the contract, according to Kaiser.

“As health care costs continue to rise and millions of Americans risk losing access to coverage, we were steadfast in underscoring our responsibility to provide fair, competitive pay while protecting affordability,” according to a news release from Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi.

Kaiser says the agreements reflect a careful balance — “delivering meaningful improvements in pay, benefits, and career development that align with the priorities union-represented employees shared with us, while also helping to safeguard access to affordable care for our members and keeping Kaiser Permanente a best place to work in health care.”

The journey to reach these agreements involved two significant work stoppages, including a five-week strike in California and Hawaiʻi. In January, Kaiser Permanente made the decision to transition open topics of bargaining from the national table to local bargaining tables, where it reports progress was being made.

“This transition enabled us to break the gridlock in national bargaining by providing an effective and timely path to reach new contracts that included wage increases, and enhanced benefits for our Alliance-represented employees,” according to the Kaiser release.

With these agreements ratified, Kaiser Permanente reports it is focused on the future. “We have a long history of working with labor unions as the nation’s largest unionized health care employer, with employees represented by more than 40 unions. We will continue collaborating with our union partners to enhance care quality and member service, support affordability, and keep Kaiser Permanente a best place to work in health care.”