Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers reach deal after strike

A coalition of worker unions reached a tentative deal with the healthcare giant, both sides said Friday. The agreement came more than a week after a three-day strike by more than 75,000 employees, widely regarded as the largest healthcare strike in history. The new agreement would give workers a 21 percent raise over the next four years and raise the minimum hourly wage for Kaiser healthcare workers to $25 in California and $23 in other states where Kaiser operates. Kaiser’s other concessions included investing more in job training programs. Employees will vote on Wednesday on whether to approve the contract.

Are the other unions on strike close to reaching deals? The United Auto Workers union and the SAG-AFTRA actors union remain on strike. On Oct. 11, negotiations broke down for a second time between film studios and the union representing 160,000 actors. Over 30,000 UAW members continue striking against Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors after walking out over a month ago. Ford Executive Bill Ford on Monday called for the strike to end, saying it could have devastating economic effects.

Dig deeper: Read Collin Garbarino’s report in WORLD Magazine on the reasons behind the SAG-AFTRA strike.