Job Announcement

Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions
Executive Director

Oakland, California

The Organization

The Coalition is comprised of ten International Unions and thirty local union affiliates that represent 100,000 employees of Kaiser Permanente (KP), the largest unionized provider of health care in the United States.  The Coalition was established in 1995 to unite all Kaiser Permanente workers in a coordinated effort to improve their lives.  The Coalition does this through organizing united action and coordinated bargaining, and—since 1997—through a path-breaking partnership with Kaiser Permanente.

The Labor-Management Partnership (LMP) is the largest and most complex partnership in the country – both operationally and in scope (number of unions, operating units, and employees; diversity of job classifications and skills).  As partners, and as codified in the National Agreement, the Coalition and Kaiser Permanente believe that caregiver involvement in decision-making can create superior health care outcomes, market leading high performance, and a superior place to work.  The Partnership is defined broadly to addresses all organizational issues – including quality of care, strategic initiatives, employee needs and concerns, and business planning.

The LMP has evolved from a labor relations strategy to an operational strategy.  This means that in its 16 year history, the LMP has created labor peace, worked on joint improvement projects, and since 2005, has established more than 3,500 unit based teams  (UBTs) made up of frontline physicians, managers, and Coalition union employees. UBTs are a foundational part of the National Agreement which declares that unit based teams are “the way we do business”. 

The 2012 National Agreement pushes the role and responsibility of UBTs further as Kaiser Permanente and the industry prepare to bring millions of heretofore uninsured into the system.  In addition, the LMP and the National Agreement are committed to the growth of KP and its unions; the improvement of the health of the workforce, the improvement of the health of our communities, and building the workforce of the future. 

The Coalition is funded through a joint labor/management trust.

For more information about the Labor-Management Partnership go to www.lmpartnership.org.

The Position and its Principal Responsibilities

The Executive Director’s job is to lead the 30 unions in a united effort to improve the lives of Kaiser Permanente employees by making KP a better place to work, and help KP become the health provider of choice.  Working closely with leaders of the Coalition’s member unions, the Director coordinates and acts as Coalition spokesperson in national bargaining,

The Executive Director represents the Coalition in a large number of high-level KP management and Partnership forums, leads in development and implementation of Coalition strategy and program, directs the activities of Coalition staff, and in general conducts the business of the Coalition in accordance with the policies established by the Executive Board. In addition to leading the activities of the Coalition, the Executive Director co-leads an extensive labor-management program operation supporting Partnership that has an annual budget of about $30 million. In this capacity, the Executive Director supervises staff who coordinate the day-to-day operations of the Labor Management Partnership in consultation with member local unions.

The Executive Director is appointed by the Executive Board.  The Executive Board consists of a President (or comparable national or international chief officer) of each of the member unions and the President of the AFL-CIO, who functions as the Chair.

Desired Skills, Experience, and Characteristics

The ideal candidate would have the following skills, experience and characteristics:

• Experience as a principal officer or director of a union; ability to understand and deal effectively with local unions
• Demonstrated success in leading high level negotiations of contracts and other agreements, preferably in both traditional and interest-based environments
• Demonstrated success in leading high level negotiations of contracts and other agreements involving a coordinated  multi-union constituency
• Demonstrated success in union organizing, bargaining, and leadership in the health care industry
• Well-developed leadership skills
• Demonstrated management experience/skill
• Excellent communicator
• Demonstrated problem solver who can unite divergent interests
• Demonstrated ability as a strategic thinker
• Ability to operate in a flexible and transparent manner
• Well-connected within the labor movement
• Ability to manage a multi-million dollar budget
• Presence, confidence
• Position is located in Oakland, California, and will involve regular travel.
• Demonstrated experience in building good relationships with senior management

Compensation

The compensation package will include a base salary and a generous benefit package.

TO APPLY e-mail a detailed résumé, cover letter to:

Margolies and Potterton, Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions Executive Director Search Consultants

Attention Ken Margolies: kam47@cornell.edu

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Open until filled, first review 8/1/13

for confidential inquiries about this position please feel free to contact us by phone:

California: Jim Potterton: (831) 332-9324   or New York: Ken Margolies: (845) 809-5591