SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West on Wednesday ratified a four-year agreement with Kaiser Permanente, according to a statement from the union, which represents 57,000 Kaiser employees in California, including 3,600 at Valley locations in Woodland Hills and Panorama City. The ratified contract includes a $130 million workforce development program, 3 percent annual raises during the length of the contract, a ban on subcontracting and limited outsourcing of current positions, forming a committee to ensure a balance of technology and caregivers, and an improved worker-management partnership. “Our new contract recognizes the skill and dedication we bring to our work, and the guaranteed raises and protected benefits give us the peace of mind to focus on caring for our patients,” Jessica Rodriguez, an emergency department technician at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, said in a statement. “We are also proud to have negotiated an agreement that is focused on the future and making sure patients have access to highly skilled and trained caregivers in the years to come.” “We greatly respect and value our employees who deliver on our mission every day,” said Arlene Peasnall, interim chief human resources officer, Kaiser Permanente Health Plan and Hospitals, in a statement from Sept. 25, when the sides first negotiated the contract. “This agreement is a testament to the dedication, compassion and skill those employees bring to work every day and demonstrates that Kaiser Permanente and the coalition have a shared commitment to affordability for our members.” The contract expires in 2023. Kaiser workers in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. are working on ratifying similar contracts, SEIU said, and voting is expected to end Oct. 19.