Kaiser Permanente will provide additional benefits to workers battling the coronavirus outbreak through an agreement reached Monday with unions.
More than 150,000 workers at Kaiser can receive child care assistance, alternate lodging if they contract the virus or work double shifts, and extra leave if they contract the virus, according to a release from the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which negotiated the agreement.
Full- and part-time employees are eligible for the benefits as are per diem employees who work at least 20 hours per week. They apply to workers at Kaiser facilities or workers who are directed to care for patients in person at a non-Kaiser facility, including home care, Kaiser said.
Employees who work at least 32 hours per week will be eligible for grants of $300 per week for child care. The unions noted that some workers have had difficulty finding affordable child care options since schools closed due to the pandemic.
The grants will cover care for children 14 or younger, or who are disabled and dependent, until May 31. Kaiser will provide prorated aid to employees who work between 20 and 32 hours.
Kaiser will also provide hotel rooms for workers who test positive for the virus, or work double or multiple 12-hour shifts, the union coalition said. It will also provide them if the employee lives with someone who has COVID-19, the respiratory disease the virus causes, or is in a vulnerable population, according to the coalition.
The Chronicle recently reported on the dilemma faced by Kaiser emergency room nurse Chad Baker, who was paying $2,000 a month for an apartment to avoid possibly bringing home an infection to his husband, who faced higher risks from COVID-19. Baker told The Chronicle that Kaiser had denied his request for reimbursement and instructed him to isolate himself from his husband at home, which is impossible in their living quarters. At the time, Kaiser said it was working on a comprehensive employee assistance program.
Workers who test positive for the virus or are sent home while awaiting test results will receive up to 80 hours of administrative leave.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic advances and we continue to prepare for the anticipated surge of patients, we will ensure that we have the benefits, programs, and practices in place to support and protect our most critical resource — our people,” Kaiser said.
Chronicle staff writer Carolyn Said contributed to this report.
Matt Kawahara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mkawahara@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @matthewkawahara
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Kaiser, health care unions agree on child care, housing benefits for workers in coronavirus fight - San Francisco Chronicle
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