California Gov. Jerry Brown congratulates LMP on its success and praises it for making the Golden State a better place to live and raise our families.
A 2016 book published by Cornell University Press and the Labor and Employnent Relations Association includes three chapters on the Labor Management Partnership. Read excerpts and get a link.
When the leaders of Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions shook hands on their Labor Management Partnership 20 years ago, they weren’t sure where it would take them. Today, it is the largest, longest-running partnership of its kind. It is also the most studied by university researchers.
A new book published by the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) and Cornell University Press shows that the partnership remains a model for workplace innovation. “The Evolving Healthcare Landscape: How Employees, Organizations, and Institutions are Adapting and Innovating” devotes three chapters to LMP’s history, accomplishments and challenges.
Adrienne Eaton and Rebecca Givan, professors at Rutgers University, and Peter Lazes, a director and researcher at The City University of New York, studied six health care partnerships, including LMP. They were struck by:
“…the extent to which unions have been proactive in driving [all] these efforts....Another development in health care partnerships has been a significant deepening of the role of labor relations staff in operational matters.
“It is [also] important to note that the cases described here have influenced one another because the key stakeholders have directly learned from each other....[For example,] union and management stakeholders in Los Angeles [Department of Health Services and SEIU Local 721] as well as union leaders from the University of Vermont Medical Center have looked to Kaiser for answers.”
Another chapter, by Jody Gittell of Brandeis University and KP Northwest staff members Joan Resnick, Sarah Lax and Eliana Temkin, reports on regional efforts to promote collaboration across work teams. KP was selected for the study in part for what the authors call its “record of leadership and innovation [including] in patient care delivery, health information systems and labor-management relations.” Several strategies, including “living room huddles”—an informal, building-wide get-together—and job shadowing across departments led to higher employee engagement and patient satisfaction scores.
The chapter “Leading Change Together” by Jim Pruitt, vice president of labor relations for the Permanente Federation, and Paul Cohen, LMP senior business consultant, explains the conditions that gave rise to the partnership, the need to implement it consistently across the organization and the way it achieves results:
“By bringing together diverse points of view and providing a framework for joint problem solving, the Labor Management Partnership has helped Kaiser Permanente tackle difficult issues....The partnership formed because conditions demanded change. It has endured because it has achieved measurable results. And it continues to flex and grow because we follow a few key principles and practices [including] self-directed work teams, interest-based problem solving and honest conversations.”
All of which explains why outside experts continue to take an interest in the joint efforts of KP and the union coalition. Pruitt and Cohen quote Thomas Kochan, a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management, who put it this way in a 2013 study:
“Kaiser Permanente is now one of the nation’s leaders in the use of frontline teams to improve health care delivery....The Labor Management Partnership continues to serve…as a model for health care delivery and improvement.”
Read the chapter by Jim Pruitt, vice president of labor relations for the Permanente Federation, and Paul Cohen, LMP senior business consultant, that explains the conditions that gave rise to the partnership—and how partnership achieves results.
Key information about each of KP's regions.
The Labor Management Partnership operates in seven of Kaiser Permanente's eight operating regions across the United States. These regions serve the needs of their respective KP members and patients, guided by a common set of partnership principles and practices. Learn more about each.
Serves 541,000 members in 34 medical offices. Of its 256 unit-based teams, 188 (73 percent) were rated high performing as of June 2021.
Serves 316,000 members in 29 medical offices. Of its 108 unit-based teams, 94 (87 percent) were rated high performing as of June 2021.
Serves 258,000 members throughout the islands, in 24 medical offices and one hospital. Of its 60 unit-based teams, 54 (90 percent) were rated high performing as of June 2021.
Serves 787,000 members in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia in 39 medical offices. Of its 277 unit-based teams, 213 (77 percent) were rated high performing as of June 2021.
Serves 4.5 million members in 249 medical offices and 35 hospitals. Of its 1,347 unit-based teams, 1,006 (75 percent) were rated high performing as of June 2021.
Serves 633,000 members in Oregon and Southwest Washington, in 59 medical and dental offices and three hospitals. Of its 407 unit-based teams, 280 (69 percent) were rated high performing as of June 2021.
Serves 4.7 million members in 257 medical offices and 19 hospitals. Of its 1,115 unit-based teams, 789 (71 percent) were rated high performing as of June 2021.
Serves more than 688,000 members in the Puget Sound area and east to Spokane with 48 medical facilities and one hospital. The Washington region became part of Kaiser Permanente in 2017. The region's LMP council held its first meeting in Q2-2019.
These departments (Finance, Health Plan Administration and IT) serve KP members, patients and staff across the program. Of 81 unit-based teams, 50 (62 percent) were rated high performing as of June 2021.
Kaiser Permanente and the Partnership unions believe people take pride in their contributions, care about their jobs and each other, want to be involved in decisions about their work and want to share in the success of their efforts. Use the information here to get connected and stay connected. And read up on how others have endorsed the value of our approach.
See what others are saying about the Labor Management Partnership.
Independent studies into the Labor Management Partnership.
A 2012 Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations study of labor partnerships at 3 health care systems, including Kaiser Permanente.
This 2011 Harvard Business Review article shows how Kaiser Permanente, our Labor Management Partnership and other leading organizations are redefining way companies do business.
Researchers from Rutgers University, Johns Hopkins and Kaiser Permanente identified 5 key enablers of unit-based team performance and development (2011).
This report traces the landmark 2005 labor negotiations and the resulting contract (2006).
This MIT report analyzes LMP’s evolution from 2002 to 2004 and identifies issues and challenges that emerged in those years (2005).
MIT researchers trace the early evolution of the Labor Management Partnership from its inception in 1997 to June 2002 and identify critical issues facing the parties (2003).
How to stay up to date with all things partnership.
The management, union and physician members of the Labor Management Partnership report to and are guided by the highest levels of their respective organizations. The Office of Labor Management Partnership and the unions also have staff members dedicated to helping the partnership succeed.
Our team of communicators produces videos and tools, writes stories, and offers training and consulting for UBTs in every region. We’re here to inspire you, help you find and share successful practices, and support your team’s progress on the Path to Performance. We offer communication workshops and publish Hank magazine. This website, LMPartnership.org, provides tips, tools, award-winning videos and stories that will support your day-to-day work.
Contact a field consultant in your region to pass on a lead for a story, schedule a training workshop or ask for communications support:
Jennifer Bellisario, senior communications consultant, Northwest, Washington and Hawaii
Laureen Lazarovici, senior communications consultant, Southern California and Colorado
Tracy Silveria, senior communications consultant, Northern California, Mid-Atlantic and Georgia
Have a question about receiving Hank or want to subscribe to LMP Insider, our bi-monthly email newsletter? Contact:
Beverly White, intermediate project manager 2; distribution
Renata Hoffman, intermediate project manager 1
Have a question about the eStore? Need to update your contact information on the website? Got a general question? Email us at: lmp-feedback@kp.org.
Meet the national LMP communications team.