LMP Processes

Check out this immersive, multimedia online version of Hank magazine, powered by Issuu. 

Check out this immersive, multimedia online version of Hank magazine, powered by Issuu. 

What does it mean to work in partnership?

It’s a joint commitment to collaborate, enshrined in the Labor Management Partnership’s national agreements.

It’s employees, managers, physicians and dentists building on common interests to make decisions and solve problems.

It’s Kaiser Permanente and the Partnership unions finding creative, mutually beneficial solutions that result in improved care, service and affordability.

There's never been a better time than right now to shine a fresh spotlight on the basics — the team-tested tools and practices fundamental to a strong partnership, such as the Rapid Improvement Model, consensus decision making and interest-based problem solving.

Whether you’re new to partnership or well-versed in its ways, use these performance improvement tools to identify issues, test changes, solve problems, make decisions, deliver better care and service, and enhance your work life.

LMP tools are designed to help you work together when things are going well — and bridge differences when the going gets tough. This approach addresses the needs of union members and helps the organization improve performance — which ultimately benefits Kaiser Permanente’s patients, members and communities.

Welcome to e-Hank! The national Labor Management Partnership communications team is pleased to serve you in this new format, and we’re grateful to those of you who’ve reached out and said you miss the print editions of Hank. But until the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, an electronic communication seems best.

This issue looks at how our Partnership — which now includes 2 union federations, with separate National Agreements — helped Kaiser Permanente meet the extraordinary challenges that a worldwide pandemic brought to our doors. We’ve never been tested like this before. And how we’ve responded in the last several months provides a look at how we will respond and grow and adapt to future challenges. The dialogue and collaboration that have been taking place during the pandemic are a model for the future.

In this e-edition of Hank, we’re also introducing 2 concepts we think will help strengthen the culture of partnership throughout the enterprise.

The first is a renewed focus on The Basics — tips, tools and stories that will help you understand the core philosophy of the Labor Management Partnership and what it means to work in partnership. New to the Partnership? These materials will help show why Kaiser Permanente and the Partnership unions that belong to the Alliance of Health Care Unions or the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are committed to it as an operating strategy. Been around for a while? Dive in and refresh your knowledge of the principles and processes that make our Partnership a success.

The second is a new focus on Joy in Work, a concept pioneered by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. By Joy in Work, we don’t mean smiley faces or i’s that are dotted with hearts. We hope our Joy in Work stories and tools will help you connect with your deeper, personal motivations for working in the  demanding health care field. The stats show that people who feel this sort of connection — this fundamental Joy in Work — are less likely to suffer from depression and burnout.

Lastly, don’t miss the back cover, which provides a quick refresh on a core principle that helps our Labor Management Partnership thrive: Free to Speak. It’s a reminder that your voice matters. Thank you for reading this and for all your hard work. Together, there is strength in partnership.

In 1997, the Labor Management Partnership turned strife between Kaiser Permanente and its unions into strength.

That strength is coming to the forefront again today. Decades of working in partnership are helping the organization respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, move forward together and provide a model for the health care industry.

With interest-based problem solving, a Free to Speak culture and performance improvement through unit-based teams, the Partnership has built a foundation that’s given leaders, managers and union members tools and relationships to collaboratively address this crisis.

Acting fast

Some of the response took place at the highest levels. Over a weekend, Kaiser Permanente and union leaders reached an agreement to temporarily enhance benefits for physicians and frontline employees.

“I’ve never negotiated anything as fast,” says Dennis Dabney, senior vice president of National Labor Relations and the Office of Labor Management Partnership.

Throughout the crisis, union leaders joined twice-weekly calls with top Kaiser Permanente leaders and played a central role with command centers and surge planning.

The key to making faster decisions was directly involving labor in operations meetings, says Hal Ruddick, executive director for the Alliance of Health Care Unions.

Having a voice

Partnership laid the groundwork for a nimble response in other ways, too. When COVID-19 hit, most vision appointments were canceled.

In Northern California, IFPTE/ESC Local 20 negotiated with management to have optometrists work in different roles. More than 120 optometrists volunteered to staff the COVID-19 test results call-in line.

“We showed our willingness to do alternative work — work that would be meaningful and keep our union members safe,” says optometrist John Corpus, a member of the local union’s optometry unit board.

Having a voice on the job equipped members to negotiate that deal, which included training, laptops and greater flexibility to work remotely.

“If our teams remain safe, are listened to and feel respected in the changes, they can live with the changes during this time,” Corpus says.

Improving workflows

At Beaverton Medical Office in Oregon, after COVID-19 testing began, managers saw that patients often needed multiple services. A new workflow was required — and the Nurse Treatment Room team’s registered nurses and medical assistants rose to the challenge.

“Everyone began sharing ideas and brainstorming possible solutions,” says nurse manager Cyndy Gillis. “The team formulated a plan that respected scope of practice, safety for the staff and patients, and a streamlined workflow that continues to adjust to new challenges.”

“It was the epitome of collaboration,” says team member Kellie Butchino, a certified medical assistant and SEIU Local 49 member.

Fighting together

One of the most vexing problems during the pandemic has been getting caregivers the personal protective equipment they need to safely care for patients. Working in partnership has helped.

“It’s not perfect,” says UNAC/UHCP member Andrew Calderon, a physician assistant at South Bay Medical Center in Southern California.

“But labor and management were there updating staff regularly and fighting to get us the materials we needed.

“We are able to provide the best care for our members because of partnership.”

Looking forward

Such collaboration across the enterprise will help Kaiser Permanente navigate the future — and inspire others, too.

In May, LMP leaders shared their pandemic experiences during a Labor and Employment Relations Association webinar, drawing praise from members of a 4-year-old labor- management partnership in Massachusetts.

“We are trying to proceed on the premise that there is no business case for adversarial labor relations,” says Bart Metzger, chief human resources officer for UMass Memorial Health Care. Partnership is “the only way we can push organizations such as ours forward.”

Partnership is an effective strategy for labor and management, Ruddick says.

“It’s harder, but it’s worth it because the results that you get are better.”

The 2019 KP-Coalition National Agreement strengthens the Labor Management Partnership to improve service to our members and patients, the organization and the roughly 85,000 represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions. Coalition union members, their managers, and the physicians who work with them are encouraged to review the agreement to learn how it will help achieve high-quality, affordable health care while creating a great place to work.

In 2018, the Alliance of Health Care Unions reached Labor Management Partnership Agreement with Kaiser Permanente.

Download the 10-page document.