Kaiser Permanente, unions for striking health care workers reach tentative agreement
Kaiser Permanente workers began striking for 3 days last week and union leaders have been negotiating with the company since
The coalition of unions representing Kaiser Permanente health care workers announced Friday morning that it reached a tentative agreement with the company.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions announced they had tentatively reached an agreement via a social media post on Friday.
"The frontline healthcare workers of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are excited to have reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente as of this morning," the group wrote on Facebook.
75,000 UNION HEALTH CARE WORKERS AT KAISER PERMANENTE GO ON STRIKE
Healthcare workers strike in front of Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers go on strike across the United States. (REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci / Reuters Photos)
The announcement added, "We are thankful for the instrumental support of Acting US Labor Secretary Julie Su."
The health care workers' unions have called for increased staffing levels at Kaiser Permanente hospitals, saying the facilities are in the midst of a "short-staffing crisis" that is unsafe and could lead to patients facing dangerously long wait times, mistaken diagnoses and neglect.
The unions also accused the hospital conglomerate of maintaining unfair labor practices.
KAISER PERMANENTE UNION COALITION WARNS OF SECOND STRIKE
A sign is posted on the exterior of the Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center in Vallejo, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Strikes began with a three-day walk-out last week — since then, coalition officials have been meeting with company representatives for negotiations.
Leaders are calling it the largest health care workers strike in US history.
Kaiser has said there is an acute shortage of health care workers nationwide, but despite that challenge, it has been able to hire more than 50,000 frontline workers in the last two years.
Striking Kaiser Permanente workers hold signs as they march in front of the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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The company said it reached a goal with the union alliance in April to hire 10,000 new people for coalition-represented jobs, and it expects to reach that target by the end of this month.
The full terms of the agreement have not yet been released.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Fox Business's Breck Dumas contributed to this report.