Kaiser Permanente announces tentative agreement with unions to avoid nationwide strike

Kaiser Permanente has announced a tentative agreement with unions that were threatening a nationwide strike in October.

The four-year collective bargaining agreement covers 85,000 unionized Kaiser Permanente health care workers in 11 local unions.

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The agreement was made after nearly five months of bargaining that began in April. It will now go to coalition union members for ratification, where voting is expected to be completed by the end of October.

Kaiser says the tentative agreement provides annual pay increases through 2023, and new job and educational training opportunities.