The agreement puts an end to a labor dispute over low wages and staffing shortages that culminated in a three-day strike across multiple states.
Strike lines were set up at Kaiser Permanente hospitals and medical office buildings across the country, including California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
The new deal would raise wages by 21 percent over four years and establish a minimum wage of $25 an hour in California and $23 an hour in other states where Kaiser Permanente operates, the unions said.
The contracts for hundreds of positions including nurses, radiology and X-ray technicians, clinical laboratory scientists, optometrists and even housekeepers, expired Sept. 30.
The striking workers said Kaiser needed to make larger investments in staffing that could help stem employee turnover and reduce growing patient wait times.
Staffing complaints are becoming increasingly common in the post-pandemic health care workforces. The pandemic led to more employees reporting burnouts and growing frustrations over poor working conditions.
The Kaiser employees will begin voting to ratify the new contract on Wednesday. Both the union representatives and Kaiser management credited acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, who told reporters Friday she was there when the final contract agreement was reached at 3 a.m.
"Collective bargaining works. It may not always look pretty. But unions have, throughout our nation's history, built the middle class," Su said.
In a statement, President Biden also praised Su for her efforts.
“This isn’t the first time Acting Secretary Su has helped essential workers and their employers reach an agreement. She continues to play an integral role helping my administration and workers across this country build an economy that works for everyone,” Biden said.
