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Your Protection From Layoff: The Employment and Income Security Agreement

January 2015

A foundational agreement of the Labor-Management Partnership (LMP) is the Employment and Income Security Agreement (EISA), signed in October 1999. The EISA protects LMP union employees from immediate termination if their position is eliminated, with KP committed to redeploying, not laying off, displaced employees. Practically speaking, what this means is that if your position is eliminated, KP is obligated to find you a comparable position in the region. While in a transition status to a new, comparable position, KP must pay you your current rate of pay and benefits for a minimum of one year. The EISA provides essential protection for LMP union members during times of change and transition at KP.

UNAC/UHCP has used the EISA over the years to successfully transition several hundred members whose positions had been eliminated to new positions, usually within a few months.  And other than voluntary retirements, every UNAC/UHCP member who has wanted to stay with KP after having had their position eliminated has done so.

Here’s a real world example of how effective the EISA is in protecting LMP union members from layoff. In November 2012 KP announced the elimination of 176 UNAC/UHCP positions region-wide. The hardest hit area was the South Bay Medical Center, with 70 positions eliminated. Using EISA and working with recruitment and HR, UNAC/UHCP: placed 58 of the affected nurses in comparable positions within 7 months; got KP to rescind 10 elimination notices, with those nurses keeping their prior positions; and two nurses voluntarily retired. EISA works.