About 85,000 Kaiser Permamente workers voted to ratify a new contract, putting to end what was the largest strike in the history of the healthcare industry. The new contract includes terms for higher wages, more employee education, increased hiring and retention efforts, and greater involvement of frontline workers in the health system’s staffing decisions.
Nurse unions and labor experts agree that the pandemic was a turning point that catalyzed nurses to fight for improved working conditions and overall better treatment from their employers. By negotiating new contracts with their employers, unions are working hard to both uphold patient safety and mitigate the nursing field’s debilitating workforce shortage.
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
A group of labor unions have filed an antitrust complaint against UPMC. They alleged that the health system has prevented its workers from being able to advocate for themselves and their patients through “a draconian system of mobility restrictions and widespread labor law violations that lock in sub-competitive pay and working conditions.”
Two Pennsylvania lawmakers are warning their constituents about UPMC, claiming the health system has built a monopoly that negatively affects both employee wellbeing and patient safety. They said UPMC has “considerable power over workers, which it wields to keep wages low, conditions unsatisfactory and prevent union organizing.”
Workers at the largest for-profit health system in the country, HCA Healthcare, have planned a rally for Thursday. The goal of the rally is to show HCA that its workers know how profitable the company is and that they won’t be able to tolerate poor staffing levels for much longer.
As of publication, nearly 2,000 Kaiser Permanente mental health workers still had to ratify the vote, and would participate in a two-day process to do so.
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.