The proposed settlement follows a three-day strike involving thousands of unionized workers in several states.Kaiser Permanente reached a tentative deal with more than 75,000 of its health care workers on Friday, one week after a three-day walkout that disrupted appointments and services at many hospitals and clinics, according to an announcement by union officials.The labor dispute was the latest in a series between health care organizations and their employees, many of whom reported feeling exhausted and frustrated by severe staffing shortages after the pandemic.“The frontline health care workers of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are excited to have reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente. We are thankful for the instrumental support of acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su,” union officials announced on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.Kaiser Permanente officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.More details were expected later on Friday. The deal was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.Kaiser Permanente health plans cover 13 million people in eight states through its own network of hospitals and doctors.A week ago, various low-wage workers took part in a 72-hour strike. The employees included medical assistants, laboratory technicians, receptionists and sanitation staff members who formed picket lines around dozens of Kaiser buildings, waving signs that demanded, “Kaiser: Put Patients First” and “Respect And Value Healthcare Workers.”The work stoppage forced Kaiser to move many appointments online and to postpone procedures that weren’t considered urgent, like colonoscopies or mammograms. The company brought contingency workers into hospitals and urgency care centers, but more than 50 labs in Southern California were shut down, and dozens of other facilities throughout the West Coast either closed or limited their hours. Union leaders called it the largest strike by health care workers in recent U.S. history.Kaiser’s stalemate drew the attention of Ms. Su, the Biden administration’s acting secretary of labor, who traveled to San Francisco to meet with officials from both sides of the negotiations, aiming to help broker a deal. Still, the parties did not return to the negotiation table for over a week after the strike began and talks broke off; the labor coalition threatened another walkout — this one to last a full week — in early November if the two sides could not settle a contract beforehand.Kaiser’s new deal comes at pivotal moment in the health labor market, after a significant exodus of staff members throughout the industry has left the supply of workers far below the demand. The dynamic has created a sense of urgency for both sides: Workers trying to treat patients amid staffing shortages report record levels of burnout, while their employers are under pressure to preserve their workforces and offer packages that attract new workers.Analysts say the situation has most likely provided union workers with leverage to get more at the table, and many are seizing the opportunity. More than a dozen health worker strikes have taken place this year in New York City, California, Illinois, Michigan and elsewhere.About 1,500 health workers began a five-day strike against Prime’s St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, Calif., on Oct. 9, citing dangerous short-staffing practices. Pharmacy staff workers at some Walgreens stores in Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Massachusetts walked out on the same day, citing workloads so excessive that they could not safely fill prescriptions. Without a formal union, they organized on Facebook and Reddit.The New York State Nurses Association entered a new contract with Mount Sinai Hospital, which includes an enforcement mechanism for nurse-patient staffing ratios.But companies like Kaiser are under pressure to limit their expenses, and the organization emphasizes that it needs to make sure its care is affordable. The organization, which had operating revenue of $95.4 billion, reported an operating loss of $1.3 billion in 2022. In recent months, Kaiser has returned to profitability.

The health system failed to reach a new contract agreement with some of its unionized employees, who have planned a three-day job action in Kaiser’s facilities in several states.More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers began a three-day strike Wednesday morning, after they failed to reach a new contract deal.The walkout started with employees in Virginia and the District of Columbia, where they set up picket lines outside Kaiser’s facilities. A majority of Kaiser’s workers are in California, where many of its unionized employees and those in Colorado, Oregon and Washington are poised to strike at 6 a.m. local time.The union members include support staff and other workers, including X-ray and lab technicians, sanitation workers who disinfect rooms between patients and pharmacy workers who help dispense medications. These workers attend surgeries, run imaging equipment and assist in outpatient clinics. Doctors and many nurses were not part of the labor dispute.The previous contract expired on Saturday. Kaiser, a large nonprofit health system, provides care for 13 million people in eight states. Union leaders say this could be the largest strike by health care workers in recent U.S. history.“Tens of thousands of frontline Kaiser health care workers across the country are ready for an unfair labor practice strike at 6 a.m. today,” the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, the collection of a dozen unions representing the workers, said in an earlier statement. “Patients and workers need dramatic action now to solve the Kaiser short staffing crisis and to ensure our patients’ safety.”Kaiser said it had “robust contingency plans in place to ensure members continue to receive safe, high-quality care should a strike occur,” emphasizing that all hospitals and emergency departments would remain open.But patients could experience delays in getting appointments, or procedures that are not considered urgent could be postponed.Talks appear to be continuing. Earlier on Wednesday, Kaiser issued a statement that the two sides “are still at the bargaining table, having worked through the night in an effort to reach an agreement.”“There has been a lot of progress,” it continued, “with agreements reached on several specific proposals late Tuesday.” The strains of an acute staffing shortage led to tensions between the unions and Kaiser executives in the run-up to the contract’s expiration. Workers said the lack of adequate staffing at Kaiser facilities created unsafe conditions for patients. The unions argued that Kaiser needed to offer better wages to attract workers and hire enough people to make up for the exodus of staff during the pandemic.In proposals considered for a new four-year contract, the union had sought a $25 hourly minimum wage and increases of 7 percent in the first two years and 6.25 percent in the two years after, according to a recent proposal.Kaiser had countered with minimum hourly wages of between $21 and $23 next year, increasing by a dollar a year. Raises would vary among locations. “It’s so disappointing to see them falling down here,” said Caroline Lucas, the executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which represents about half of Kaiser’s unionized work force.While the pandemic caused an immediate crisis in which workers were stretched too thin, Ms. Lucas said employees had been concerned about short staffing even before Covid hit. “For years, there has been a crisis on the horizon,” she said.Michelle Gaskill-Hames, regional president for Kaiser Permanente in Southern California and Hawaii, had said earlier that Kaiser was dealing with the same staffing problems as other health systems across the country. The group has fared better than many of its competitors, she said, in limiting turnover and hiring replacement staff. “We have really ramped up on aggressive retention and recruitment strategies,” she said.The frustrations of health care workers, who feel they are being forced to care for too many patients for too little pay, have been boiling over across the country. Many of the workers who remain feel burned out and are struggling to handle a higher volume of patients. The concern over inadequate staffing resulted in a nurses’ strike in New York City in January, and there were more than a dozen similar strikes this year in California, Illinois, Michigan and elsewhere.The tight labor market has emboldened many unionized workers, leading to the recently averted strike at United Parcel Service and current picket lines among autoworkers. “Unions are flexing their muscles in a bunch of industries,” said Ruth Milkman, a professor of sociology and labor studies at the City University of New York.The pervasive short staffing in health care gives workers significant leverage to demand better working conditions and higher pay, she said.Many nurses are represented by other unions, including the California Nurses Association, which agreed to a new contract in Northern California last December.The high levels of burnout have exacerbated the staffing shortages, said Ethan Ruskin, a health educator at Kaiser Permanente in San Jose, Calif. Patients have to wait longer than usual for appointments, he said, only to face more delays in the waiting rooms.“If they see something on your mammogram and send you for a sonogram, you’re going to be waiting weeks for a scan,” Mr. Ruskin said. “Meanwhile our sonographers have huge injury rates — things like stress fractures — because they are expected to see twice as many patients as they should.”

The health care system provides care for 13 million people in eight states. Union officials say the job action — threatened for Wednesday — could be the largest strike by health care workers in recent U.S. history.More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees are threatening to walk out Wednesday morning if they cannot agree to a new labor contract. The previous contract expired on Saturday. Union leaders say this could be the largest strike by health care workers in recent U.S. history.Kaiser, a large nonprofit health system, provides care for 13 million people in eight states, including California, Colorado and Washington, and the District of Columbia. The job action would involve support and other staff, including X-ray and lab technicians; sanitation workers who disinfect rooms between patients; and pharmacy workers who help dispense medications. These workers attend surgeries, run imaging equipment and assist in outpatient clinics. Doctors and many nurses are not part of the strike, which is set to last three days in some places. Some nurses, therapists and aides could also walk out.Kaiser said it was preparing for a possible strike and would do what it could to minimize any disruptions to patients. “Our hospitals are going to remain open,” including the emergency departments, said Michelle Gaskill-Hames, regional president for Kaiser Permanente in Southern California and Hawaii.But patients could experience delays in getting appointments, or procedures that are not considered urgent could be postponed.The strains of an acute staffing shortage have led union officials to warn that the strike is likely if Kaiser executives ignore their concerns. Workers say the lack of adequate staffing at Kaiser facilities is creating unsafe conditions for patients. The unions say that Kaiser needs better wages to attract workers and that it needs to hire enough people to make up for the exodus of staff during the pandemic.“It’s so disappointing to see them falling down here,” said Caroline Lucas, the executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, the collection of a dozen unions that notified Kaiser last month about the possibility of a strike. The coalition represents about half of Kaiser’s unionized work force, largely in California, where Kaiser is based.While the pandemic caused an immediate crisis in which workers were stretched too thin, Ms. Lucas said employees had been concerned about short staffing even before Covid hit. “For years, there has been a crisis on the horizon,” she said.Negotiations are continuing through midday Tuesday. “We are committed to staying at the table as long as we need to,” Ms. Gaskill-Hames said.She said Kaiser was grappling with the same staffing problems as other health systems across the country. The group has fared better than many of its competitors, she said, in limiting turnover and hiring replacement staff. “We have really ramped up on aggressive retention and recruitment strategies,” Ms. Gaskill-Hames said.A nurse was arrested last month during a demonstration outside Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Hollywood.Damian Dovarganes/Associated PressThe frustrations of health care workers, who feel they are being forced to care for too many patients for too little pay, have been boiling over across the country. Many of the workers who remain feel burned out and are struggling to handle a higher volume of patients. The concern over inadequate staffing resulted in a nurses’ strike in New York City in January, and there were more than a dozen similar strikes this year in California, Illinois, Michigan and elsewhere.The tight labor market has emboldened many unionized workers, leading to the recently averted strike at United Parcel Service and current picket lines among autoworkers. “Unions are flexing their muscles in a bunch of industries,” said Ruth Milkman, a professor of sociology and labor studies at the City University of New York.The pervasive short staffing in health care gives workers significant leverage to demand better working conditions and higher pay, she said.Many nurses are represented by other unions, including the California Nurses Association, which agreed to a new contract in Northern California last December.The high levels of burnout have exacerbated the staffing shortages, said Ethan Ruskin, a health educator at Kaiser Permanente in San Jose, Calif. Patients have to wait longer than usual for appointments, he said, only to face more delays in the waiting rooms.“If they see something on your mammogram and send you for a sonogram, you’re going to be waiting weeks for a scan,” Mr. Ruskin said. “Meanwhile our sonographers have huge injury rates — things like stress fractures — because they are expected to see twice as many patients as they should.”Mr. Ruskin, who works alongside doctors to educate patients about various diagnoses, such as diabetes, said employees in San Jose had been frustrated by their working conditions for more than three years. “The executives could stop the strike today, frankly,” Mr. Ruskin said. “To be clear, nobody wants to go out on strike. But we’re prepared to. We get into this field because we want to help people. We’re not sure what else to do at this point.”Kaiser released a video and other resources in recent weeks to urge workers to push back on union calls for a strike. They argue that, in contrast to other high-profile labor negotiations, such as those among autoworkers and Hollywood actors, the effects of a health worker strike on the public would be immediate and life-threatening. The unions, however, have said that a strike is necessary to protect patient safety.As the talks continue, the sides have yet to agree on a minimum hourly wage for workers and the rate of annual increases over the life of the four-year contract. The union wants a $25 hourly minimum wage and increases of 7 percent in the first two years and 6.25 percent in the two years afterward, according to its latest public proposal.Kaiser has countered with minimum hourly wages of between $21 and $23 next year, increasing by a dollar a year. Raises would vary among locations, with workers in some places, like Northern California, receiving annual increases of 4 percent for four years, while some others would receive an increase of 3.5 percent the first year, followed by 3 percent annual increases.