President Obama highlights the Coalition of KP Unions’ partnership with Kaiser Permanente for empowering workers’ voice for great jobs and benefits.

President Obama held up the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions and our partnership with KP, as a model for empowering worker’s voices and using that influence to secure good jobs with good pay and benefits, during opening remarks Wednesday, Oct. 7, at a White House Summit on Worker Voice.

The summit gathered business and union leaders, workers and advocates to explore creative ways of giving American workers more voice on the job, and leveraging that voice to share in the profits they are helping to create — in the form of a living wage.

SEIU Local 105 LPN Sharon Davies from Colorado and KP’s Northern California regional vice president Greg Adams were among the selected attendees who participated at the summit.

In comments kicking off the summit, the President referred to the Coalition and our partnership with Kaiser Permanente as a successful model for giving workers a voice on the job and a voice in the quality of their jobs. It was held as a progressive example of partnering that benefits not only Kaiser Permanente in providing quality care, but also benefits the worker with good pay and benefits.

“There are businesses out there who are taking the high road and enlist their employees as partners in their shared future, and understand that if they’re investing in their employees and making them partners, that they’ll actually do better, not worse,” President Obama said.

“Kaiser Permanente works with 28 different unions to provide good pay and benefits, but also educational programs, and avenues for employees to help improve quality and care throughout the company — which is why they’re considered one of the premier health organizations in the country.”

Click here to read the President Obama’s full remarks.