SACRAMENTO, Calif — After more than two months of being on the picket line, therapists employed by Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and the Central Valley — members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers — have voted to ratify a contract Tuesday.
This is what was agreed upon as per the National Union of Healthcare Workers:
- Nearly two additional hours per week for therapists to perform critical patient care duties such as responding to patient emails and voicemails, tailoring treatment plans, communicating with social service agencies and charting appointments
- An increase in extra pay for bilingual therapists from $1 per hour to $1.50 per hour
- A commitment by Kaiser to hire more therapists and expand its new treatment track programs which allow certain patients better access to appointments over a shorter period of treatment
- A commitment by Kaiser to work with therapists on a plan to expand crisis services to nearly all of its clinics
- An agreement to increase from 60 to 90 minutes the amount of time therapists have to conduct initial assessments of children seeking mental health care
The National Union of Healthcare Workers also said therapists agreed to Kaiser’s wage proposal. Wage increases, including retroactive pay, will be as follows:
- Year one: 4%
- Year two: 3% + a 1 percent lump sum bonus
- Year three: 3%
- Year four: 3% + a 1 percent lump sum bonus
The mental healthcare providers were on strike since Aug. 15.
In a statement, Kaiser Permanente told ABC10 that they and the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) reached the agreement early Tuesday morning.
The four-year contract is retroactive to Sept. 2021 and expires in Sept. 2025.
