Featured Stories
Teamsters Local 696 Endorses Sen. Marshall for Re-Election
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
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Teamsters Local 696 Endorses Sen. Marshall for Re-Election
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(TOPEKA, Kan.) - Today, Teamsters Local 696 endorsed Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) for re-election to the U.S. Senate.
"Sen. Marshall has proven time and time again that he is a friend of labor," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Sen. Marshall has been eager to partner with us on legislation that protects workers,
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
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Teamsters Local 696 Endorses Sen. Marshall for Re-Election
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(TOPEKA, Kan.) - Today, Teamsters Local 696 endorsed Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) for re-election to the U.S. Senate.
"Sen. Marshall has proven time and time again that he is a friend of labor," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Sen. Marshall has been eager to partner with us on legislation that protects workers,even when it requires breaking rank with his own party. We look forward to continuing to work together with Sen. Marshall to fight for the rights of hardworking Americans."
Marshall is a co-sponsor of several pro-labor bills including the Faster Labor Contracts Act and Warehouse Worker Protection Act. He is also an original sponsor of the Railway Safety Act.
"We are proud to endorse the candidate in this race who continues to be a voice for the middle-class workers of our great state, and that candidate is Sen. Marshall," said Mike Scribner, President of Local 696. "Kansas Teamsters need someone in Washington who is willing to fight on their behalf. Throughout his tenure, Sen. Marshall has shown that he is the person for the job."
Sen. Marshall has joined bipartisan efforts focused on holding Amazon accountable for their scam DSP subcontractor business model. He also co-led a bipartisan letter to the Surface Transportation Board expressing concern about the effects of the proposed Union Pacific merger with Norfolk Southern and demanding the highest level of regulatory scrutiny to protect workers and the freight rail system.
Local 696 represents workers across a wide variety of trades in Topeka and throughout Kansas.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents over 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
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Original text here: https://teamster.org/2026/09/teamsters-local-696-endorses-sen-marshall-for-re-election/
New memorandums of understanding and national-level settlements
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO National Association of Letter Carriers issued the following news:
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New memorandums of understanding and national-level settlements
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The NALC and the Postal Service have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Re: Monetization of Annual Leave (M-02019) in which career employees covered under the NALC agreement may sell back up to 80 hours of annual leave prior to the beginning of the leave year. To qualify for annual leave monetization, employees must meet two criteria: They must be at the maximum annual leave carryover limit
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO National Association of Letter Carriers issued the following news:
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New memorandums of understanding and national-level settlements
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The NALC and the Postal Service have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Re: Monetization of Annual Leave (M-02019) in which career employees covered under the NALC agreement may sell back up to 80 hours of annual leave prior to the beginning of the leave year. To qualify for annual leave monetization, employees must meet two criteria: They must be at the maximum annual leave carryover limitat the start of the leave year and must have used fewer than 75 hours of sick leave in the previous leave year.
In addition, the national parties have agreed to a MOU Re: Annual Leave Carryover for Leave Year 2027 (M-02020), which increases the maximum allowable annual leave carryover amounts outlined in the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM). For Leave Year 2027, regular workforce career employees covered by the USPS-NALC National Agreement may carry over 520 hours of accumulated annual leave from Leave Year 2026 to Leave Year 2027. The memorandum, which does not change the provisions in the ELM for payment of accumulated leave, will expire with the conclusion of the 2027 leave year.
Also, in a letter dated Sept. 3, 2026 (M-02021), USPS and NALC have renewed the bidding procedures outlined in Article 12.3.A of the National Agreement, effective May 23, 2026. This renewal allows city letter carriers to continue bidding on, and subsequently be awarded, vacant job assignments during the ongoing contract negotiations and in the event the parties come to an impasse and proceed to interest arbitration. Successful bids following May 23, 2026, will count toward the maximum bids established in the next National Agreement.
NALC and USPS have also resolved two issues pending at the national-level interpretive step. The parties have reached an agreement on a national-level grievance regarding the Postal Service's Heat Illness Prevention Program (M-02017), and the Postal Service has withdrawn a request for an interpretive review of a national-level dispute (M-02018) regarding the filing of PS Form 1767 and remedies for rights not bargained for in the contract. Grievances held pending the outcome of these national cases will be processed in accordance with Article 15 of the National Agreement.
All five documents can be found in NALC's Materials Reference System (MRS) on the NALC website at nalc.org/mrs.
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Original text here: https://www.nalc.org/news/nalc-updates/new-memorandums-of-understanding-and-national-level-settlements
MedStar Washington Hospital Center nurses host community forum on maternal health care cuts, the future of health care in DC
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Sept. 8 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release:
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MedStar Washington Hospital Center nurses host community forum on maternal health care cuts, the future of health care in DC
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Union registered nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) in Washington, D.C. will hold a community forum on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, to discuss the closure of postpartum unit 5F at Washington Hospital Center, the devastating impact of Medicaid cuts in DC, and building a health care system that works for us all. Members of National Nurses
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SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Sept. 8 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United issued the following news release:
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MedStar Washington Hospital Center nurses host community forum on maternal health care cuts, the future of health care in DC
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Union registered nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) in Washington, D.C. will hold a community forum on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, to discuss the closure of postpartum unit 5F at Washington Hospital Center, the devastating impact of Medicaid cuts in DC, and building a health care system that works for us all. Members of National NursesUnited and community partners, as well as DC Councilmember and Democratic nominee for DC mayor Janeese Lewis George, will speak.
By closing the 5F unit on July 26, 2026, MedStar eliminated more than one-third of all postpartum beds at Washington Hospital Center, DC's busiest hospital for births. Since the closure was announced, nurses, community members, and local leaders have expressed grave concerns about patient care, equity, and access. "At a time when DC faces a maternal health crisis, particularly for Black women and families experiencing the greatest health disparities, we should be expanding, not reducing, maternal health capacity. Nearly all of the DC residents who die during pregnancy or childbirth are Black. Reducing postpartum treatment capacity sends the wrong message at the wrong time," DC Councilmember and Democratic mayoral nominee Janeese Lewis George explained.
Since the beds were closed, nurses have reported troubling conditions inside the hospital. "When labor and delivery is over capacity, we can go 'on diversion,' which means that we recommend health care providers tell their patients to seek care elsewhere because of our shortage of resources. We have been on diversion at least 14 times since the postpartum unit closed less than six weeks ago, even though this option is supposed to be a rare last resort," said Gianna Chacon, RN in labor and delivery. Patients go to the postpartum unit after giving birth, so if there are no postpartum beds available, patients must stay and occupy a labor and delivery bed -leaving no room for new, incoming patients in labor.
Who: Registered nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and D.C. community leaders
What: Community forum on the future of health care in DC
When: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026 from 5-7 p.m.
Where: The People's Church, 4704 13th St NW, Washington, DC 20011
"Postpartum nurses are being pressured to get moms out as soon as possible to make room. One of the most important things we do is educate. We are doing all we can, but when the process is rushed, patients may be leaving with lingering questions or concerns. They are also more likely to return later with complications. Our patients deserve better, and we call on MedStar to reverse the cuts," said Averie Foster, an RN in postpartum.
Forum panelists will discuss not only the impact of cuts to maternal health care, but also the broader landscape of health care cuts and efforts to fight back in DC. "I am deeply troubled by the layoff of over 60 staff members at Unity Health Care this August. It is imperative that our community come together and make clear that DC residents deserve more care, not more cuts," said Dr. Kate Sugarman, physician member of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. "And we demand that Unity and all health care institutions in the city behave with full transparency."
NNOC/NNU represents more than 2,200 registered nurses at Washington Hospital Center.
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
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Original text here: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/medstar-washington-hospital-center-nurses-host-community-forum-on-maternal-health-care-cuts
Amazon Delivery Drivers Demand Teamsters Recognition at DRI1 Facility
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
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Amazon Delivery Drivers Demand Teamsters Recognition at DRI1 Facility
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Press Contact: Maura Drumm Phone: (215) 510-3735
(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) - Amazon delivery drivers at the DRI1 facility in Providence, R.I., marched on the boss today to announce their unionization with Teamsters Local 251 and demand Amazon begin the process of bargaining a collective agreement.
The drivers operate out of Amazon's largest last-mile facility in Rhode Island and are the first Amazon workers
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
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Amazon Delivery Drivers Demand Teamsters Recognition at DRI1 Facility
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Press Contact: Maura Drumm Phone: (215) 510-3735
(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) - Amazon delivery drivers at the DRI1 facility in Providence, R.I., marched on the boss today to announce their unionization with Teamsters Local 251 and demand Amazon begin the process of bargaining a collective agreement.
The drivers operate out of Amazon's largest last-mile facility in Rhode Island and are the first Amazon workersin the state to unionize with the Teamsters. The union organizing drive at DRI1 represents the latest Teamsters action to hold Amazon accountable in the state, with Rhode Island Teamsters helping to successfully pass the Rhode Island Warehouse Worker Protection Act into law earlier this summer.
"Amazon workers across the country are fed up with this company's greed and neglect. The drivers at DRI1 are taking a brave step to become the first in Rhode Island to take on Amazon," said Randy Korgan, Director of the Teamsters Amazon Division. "There is no Amazon facility too big or small for workers to join the fight. Wherever Amazon workers demand fair pay and safer jobs, the Teamsters will be there to hold this $3 trillion company accountable."
"DRI1 delivery drivers are putting their feet down and joining the most important organizing effort in America today," said Matt Taibi, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 251 and Teamsters Eastern Region Vice President. "We couldn't be prouder to have these courageous men and women join the Teamsters family. They will show the world what it means to be Teamsters."
Amazon Teamsters at DRI1 are fighting for better pay, health care, and safety at the e-retail giant's most important Rhode Island facility. They join over 10,000 workers across more than 12 facilities in the nation who have organized with the Teamsters.
"We work for one of the richest companies on the planet, but they won't give us a livable wage, they ignore our safety concerns, and then say we don't even work for them." said Fred German, an Amazon driver out of the DRI1 facility and new member of Local 251. "We have had enough. We are proud to join the Teamsters and Amazon workers across the country demanding we get treated with the respect every human being deserves."
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents over 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
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Original text here: https://teamster.org/2026/09/amazon-delivery-drivers-demand-teamsters-recognition-at-dri1-facility/
A Labor Day Message from National President Randy Erwin
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 [Category: Union] -- The National Federation of Federal Employees issued the following news release:
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A Labor Day Message from National President Randy Erwin
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Dear NFFE-IAM Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Labor Day to you and your families. This weekend is a celebration of American workers, but more importantly federal employees, and the critical work you do to keep our country running every day.
I am so proud of the dedication NFFE-IAM members have for serving this nation. To our VA professionals caring for our veterans, Defense workers keeping our military ready to
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 [Category: Union] -- The National Federation of Federal Employees issued the following news release:
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A Labor Day Message from National President Randy Erwin
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Dear NFFE-IAM Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Labor Day to you and your families. This weekend is a celebration of American workers, but more importantly federal employees, and the critical work you do to keep our country running every day.
I am so proud of the dedication NFFE-IAM members have for serving this nation. To our VA professionals caring for our veterans, Defense workers keeping our military ready toprotect, USFS and BLM workers maintaining our public lands, wildland firefighters defending our communities, NPS staff stewarding our National Parks, public safety workers keeping our communities safe, passport employees allowing us to travel internationally, and all federal workers providing essential services to the American people - thank you for all that you do!
This Labor Day is especially important as we are in the middle of campaign season and Election Day will be here very soon. It is imperative that working people have representation in Congress, state legislatures, city halls, and in our communities. This means making our voices heard by voting. It also means voting for candidates that are pro-labor and pro-federal employees - those who are running to put working people first, ahead of private interests and their own personal gain.
We must remember that working people have significant power that can improve the lives of all Americans. All the rights and freedoms we have today exist because workers of previous generations fought for them. Now, it is our turn to fight and protect those rights. We must fight to protect our union, and we must fight to protect our democracy - and we can only win that fight if we are in it together in solidarity.
For important Labor Day and Election Day events, please tune in to the AFL-CIO's resources so you can get involved with the labor movement and ensure working people have a voice.
Brothers and Sisters, thank you for the work you do, and for being dedicated members of NFFE.
As always: We work for America every day.
I hope you are having a great Labor Day weekend!
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Original text here: https://www.nffe.org/nffe_news/a-labor-day-message-from-national-president-randy-erwin/
Farm workers mourn Mo Jourdane, who got California to ban el cortito, the crippling short-handled hoe
KEENE, California, Sept. 6 [Category: Union] -- The United Farm Workers issued the following news release:
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Farm workers mourn Mo Jourdane, who got California to ban el cortito, the crippling short-handled hoe
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Mo Jourdane spent his life overcoming multiple tragedies by finding new purpose in changing the lives of underrepresented people and in devotion to family. Shortly before his passing, his son Jonathan asked him what in his life's work made him most proud. He quickly cited representing farm workers. Mo is best known for getting the state of California to abolish use of el cortito,
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KEENE, California, Sept. 6 [Category: Union] -- The United Farm Workers issued the following news release:
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Farm workers mourn Mo Jourdane, who got California to ban el cortito, the crippling short-handled hoe
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Mo Jourdane spent his life overcoming multiple tragedies by finding new purpose in changing the lives of underrepresented people and in devotion to family. Shortly before his passing, his son Jonathan asked him what in his life's work made him most proud. He quickly cited representing farm workers. Mo is best known for getting the state of California to abolish use of el cortito,the infamous short-handled hoe.
Mo, 83, passed away on September 5 following a two-year battle with cancer. Fittingly, it was the end of his favorite season, summer, the surf was up and it was Labor Day weekend, when homage is paid to workers.
Maurice "Mo" Jourdane was born in Los Angeles in 1942 and grew up in Huntington Park: an unlikely protector of farm workers. But as a child he would go to his grandpa's small avocado farm in Vista near Oceanside and learn about the plight of the farm workers picking fruit and learn Spanish.
The first tragedy he overcame was polio, contracted in the third grade during the early 1950s before there was a vaccine. Children were dying and becoming paralyzed. He was treated with hot pads on his legs and swimming. School work was brought home. His response to polio in the year away from the classroom was becoming a relentless academic and athlete.
At 17, he moved to Hawaii to surf the big waves. Then came San Jose State University and the University of California San Francisco School of law, where he graduated at the top of his class.
-Mo's greatest achievement for farm workers was his relentless and successful struggle to outlaw agribusinesses' use of the short hoe. It plagued generations of field workers with crippling injuries by demanding they toil stooped over in backbreaking labor while thinning, weeding and harvesting for as long as 10 or 12 hours per day, often in triple digit heat.
Republican U.S. Senator George Murphy of California infamously said in 1964 that Mexican field workers "are built low to the ground...so it is easier for them to stoop."
Over almost a decade in the 1960s and '70s while working with California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), Mo ceaselessly researched and advocated for a state ban of the hated implement. Through negotiations with employers and administrative and court actions, he overcame stern opposition from the conservative, pro-grower administration of Governor Ronald Reagan. With the ascendency of a new governor, Jerry Brown, in the mid-'70s, Mo and CRLA achieved an epic victory. Working with the United Farm Workers, other CRLA lawyers and volunteers, Mo persuaded the California Supreme Court to compel the state to eliminate use of the hoe in the fields.
Mo chronicled this historic crusade in his 2004 book, El Cortito: The Struggle for the Health and Legal Protection of Farm Workers. His story is a shocking reminder of the shameful oppression plaguing impoverished field laborers into the 1970s. He spent the rest of his life striving to overcome that injustice and always reminding people of the unfinished work, in part by supporting the UFW.
-Spanish-speaking school children in the small southern Monterey County town of Soledad were placed in classrooms for what was called at the time the "mentally retarded" because of low IQ scores on tests administered in English, simply because the students did not comprehend English. Mo filed a class action lawsuit that ultimately stopped the practice in California and ordered 55,000 mis-classified children removed from those classes. This case spurred creation of bilingual education and much needed reforms in special education.
-A teacher in the nearby city of Greenfield was fired for encouraging migrant farm worker children to go to college. Mo's lawsuit got her job back and ended the practice.
-He filed a class action lawsuit in Los Angeles County, Maria P. v. Riles, that stopped school districts from refusing to educate non-citizen students who lacked proof of immigration status.
-Abela v. Riverside Unified School District was a trial on a complaint Mo filed for a junior high school girl who the district claimed it could summarily suspend for fighting as "mentally unfit." He won and halted that practice too.
Mo handled landmark cases as an attorney for the newly formed state Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB). He successfully litigated a case sustaining the ALRB's access rule letting farm workers speak with union organizers in the fields during non-working hours as well as a key case against the big lettuce grower Bruce Church Inc. Throughout his years with CRLA and the ALRB, "If you were an employer abusing your workers and Mo Jourdane was on the other side, you knew you were in trouble," observed son Jonathan Julio Jourdane.
"His mantra that he often repeated was if you see someone being harmed, you do something about it," recalled Olivia Flores Jourdane, his wife and partner of more than 42 years. "That was how he lived his life."
Mo's second tragedy occurred in 1977. He was driving in the early morning from Santa Maria to Bakersfield for interviews with farm workers in an ALRB case. On the pitch-black highway, a big tractor-trailer oil truck pulled out in front of him. He lost an eye. His face was crushed. He was in a coma.
They didn't think he would survive. He was moved to Stanford University Hospital. His face was reconstructed. His jaw was wired shut for a year. He had to re-learn how to speak.
Yet he found new purpose after the accident. Rather than dying, he returned to his good work but also transformed himself from a Southern California surfer and bad-ass litigator into a marathon runner, meeting his wife and starting a family. He found Olivia and became a present dad, first for their daughter Jacquelyn (Jackie) and later Jonathan.
Mo spent three years as a Municipal and Superior Court judge in Monterey County, appointed by Governor Brown. He lost his election when growers organized a deputy district attorney to run against him, spotlighting his disability. After all, Mo had fought for the people the powers that be didn't like.
They started anew in San Diego, and he worked for the Fourth District Court of Appeals until Jerry Brown became state attorney general in 2007 with Mo handling labor cases.
The following year began his third tragedy. Esophageal cancer metastasized to his lymph nodes and liver resulting in four ball-sized cancerous tumors engulfing his liver. Doctors did not expect Mo to survive.
He found an oncologist who would prescribe the most intense chemotherapy. He'd go for treatments and then drive with Olivia to New Mexico to walk door-to-door for Barack Obama's first presidential campaign. He would return to California for more treatments and then go back to knocking on doors for Obama. Mo believed in practicing law to change lives but also saw electoral politics as important.
He was always present as a dad and husband, even when that was hard. Mo eventually had to stop driving after the accident, so getting to work at the Court of Appeals in San Diego required an hour's commute on bus and trolly.
He endured the same drill running to attend his kids' sporting events. His way of being present wasn't as a coach or chatting with other parents. It was jogging for miles from downtown to watch his children's activities-and them knowing what he had to go through to get there.
He cared for the children when Olivia attended night classes to become a teacher. He covered everything from cooking to helping with homework.
Mo also ran 79 marathons, including one under three hours. He wrote three books.
What made him unique was how overcoming adversity became as important as the mountains he climbed for farm workers and others for whom he fought. The same fighting spirit he applied to people's legal struggles helped him overcome his personal hardships. It inspired people from all walks of life-activists, lawyers, immigrants, students, people with disabilities.
Overcoming adversity also meant never caring what others thought about how he looked. From 1977 onward, he often drooled because half his face was numb. When he was invited to speak on high school and college campuses, he would walk in wearing mismatched clothing-oversized khakis, cowboy boots, a sweater and visor. He could look to some homeless, disabled or disfigured.
But when people heard him talk about professional achievements and overcoming personal tragedy, they saw way beyond his appearance. Some students sat with mouths open. "How were you able to do all this?" they'd ask. "You just do it," he replied. "If you see something wrong, you do something about it." Mo offered powerful lessons about empathy without ever saying the word.
He read to his children every night, picking books with morals and values-stories such as The Little Engine That Could.
In the end, when he was in great pain from his second bout with cancer, Mo took joy being around his granddaughter Josephine who will carry on his legacy.
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Original text here: https://ufw.org/farm-workers-mourn-mo-jourdane-who-got-california-to-ban-el-cortito-the-crippling-short-handled-hoe/
National Union of Healthcare Workers: San Francisco Passes Resolution Opposing Kaiser Contract Demands
EMERYVILLE, California, Sept. 5 -- The National Union of Healthcare Workers, a labor union that represents workers in California and Hawaii, issued the following news release:
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San Francisco passes resolution opposing Kaiser contract demands
Following Special Hearing, San Francisco Becomes First City to Pass Resolution Opposing Kaiser Contract Demands That Would Allow it to Outsource Behavioral Healthcare and Replace Frontline Therapists with A.I.
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SAN FRANCISCO -- The 11-member San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution this afternoon calling on Kaiser to withdraw
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EMERYVILLE, California, Sept. 5 -- The National Union of Healthcare Workers, a labor union that represents workers in California and Hawaii, issued the following news release:
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San Francisco passes resolution opposing Kaiser contract demands
Following Special Hearing, San Francisco Becomes First City to Pass Resolution Opposing Kaiser Contract Demands That Would Allow it to Outsource Behavioral Healthcare and Replace Frontline Therapists with A.I.
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SAN FRANCISCO -- The 11-member San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution this afternoon calling on Kaiser to withdrawcontract demands that would set the stage for the giant HMO to lay off therapists, outsource behavioral health services, and use A.I. to replace licensed professionals in treating patients.
Supervisor Chyanne Chen introduced the resolution after she, Board President Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, and Supervisor Shamann Walton called a July 21 hearing where Kaiser mental health therapists, social workers and psychologists, as well as leaders from behavioral health advocacy and professional associations, warned supervisors that Kaiser's proposals risked significantly reducing the quality of its behavioral health services. Kaiser officials refused to participate in the hearing.
"Kaiser is shrugging off the severity of its proposals, but the supervisors weren't fooled," said Tianna Lui, a therapist who works for Kaiser in San Francisco and testified at the hearing. "This resolution is important validation that the public stands with us in preserving human-centered behavioral healthcare that is integrated with Kaiser's medical services."
The resolution calls on Kaiser to "withdraw its 'Terrible Three' contract demands and negotiate in good faith an agreement that maintains the appropriate clinical authority of its behavioral health providers and preserves the integrity of Kaiser's integrated healthcare system."
The proposals that clinicians have been opposing since their contract expired last September center around:
* Artificial intelligence: Kaiser wants to be able to replace therapists with A.I. and exert total control over a technology that stands to dramatically change how therapy is provided. Kaiser is already using A.I. to record therapy sessions and algorithms to screen patients seeking care. It's now unwilling to agree to language it accepted in its Southern California contract, stating that the intention of new technologies like A.I. "is not to replace" clinicians.
* Layoffs and outsourcing: Kaiser is proposing language that would allow it to lay off clinicians in order to refer far more patients to third-party contractors for behavioral health services, divorcing behavioral health from the rest of Kaiser's integrated care model.
* Disempowering clinicians: Kaiser is demanding that the contract state that it has the "sole discretion" to "determine or modify the behavioral health operating and clinical models of care," thereby ending any requirement that it work collaboratively with therapists to improve services.
The HMO is also seeking to reverse critical patient-care protections agreed upon as part of a settlement to end a 10-week strike in 2022.
"Mental wellness is incredibly important, and how we're taking care of our patients and workers, especially with emerging technology, is more important now than ever," Supervisor Chen said. "We all must do our part to protect our workers and patients."
Kaiser is making these proposals despite being under state and federal monitoring over its "failure to provide timely and appropriate access to mental health and substance use disorder services." Kaiser is currently under a $200 million settlement agreement with the California Department of Managed Health Care, signed in 2023; and a $31 million settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor, signed earlier this year. Both agreements resolved investigations that were sparked in part by testimony from clinicians.
"Kaiser officials should be eager to work with their clinicians to improve services, but instead they want to sideline them to escape accountability for under-resourcing behavioral healthcare," NUHW President Emeritus Sal Rosselli said. "By taking this stand, San Francisco Supervisors are making it clear to Kaiser that it needs to work with therapists, not replace them with A.I. that won't advocate for patients."
No progress was made toward an agreement during four days of mediation in August, and no additional mediation dates have been set. Clinicians held a one-day strike in March and have authorized a three-day strike, although no strike date has been set.
More details on Kaiser's demands and past actions are available on this fact sheet (https://nuhw.org/wp-content/uploads/Kaiser_IBHS_fact_sheet_SFBOS_hearing_20260701.pdf).
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The National Union of Healthcare Workers is a member-led movement that represents 19,000 healthcare workers in California, Hawai'i, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, including nearly 4,700 Kaiser mental health clinicians and medical professionals.
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Original text here: https://home.nuhw.org/2026/09/02/san-francisco-passes-resolution-opposing-kaiser-contract-demands/
[Category: Union]
