Kaiser Permanente mental health workers begin indefinite strike in Southern California

More than 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental health workers in Southern California went on strike this morning and formed picket lines in areas from Los Angeles to San Diego, marking the second strike among Kaiser doctors in more than a year. two.

Mental health workers represented by the National Association of Health Workers are poised to strike over the weekend after downgrading Kaiser on Friday.

Kaiser in a written statement said it is notifying patients whose appointments may be affected by the strike. “Patients will have the opportunity to be seen by another specialist in our network of highly qualified, licensed specialists if their regular provider goes on strike,” the statement read.

A 2022 strike among mental health doctors in Northern California lasted 10 weeks and led to a commitment from Kaiser to hire more doctors and give workers some hours away from care of face-to-face patients.

Southern California Kaiser staff are now asking for more time between appointments to prepare patients. They are also seeking wage increases and pension benefits that the company provides to its Northern California nurses.

“It’s very simple,” said psychologist William Johnson, a union director who serves on the negotiating committee. “We want three priorities that Kaiser has already said ‘Yes’ to our mental health workers in California.”

Johnson said his current workload involves seeing 32 to 35 patients a week in one-hour sessions.

Kaiser released a statement in response to the union’s plans to strike, saying, “unfortunately this is not surprising, as it appears to have been their plan all along.”

The company has offered salary increases of up to 18% over four years and many other benefits, according to the statement. Kaiser officials say they have invested more than a billion dollars to expand mental health capacity in California and increased the number of licensed mental health practitioners in Southern California by 30% in the past four years. .

But union members say the transition has been problematic, with a quarter of doctors hired between January 2021 and August 2024 leaving their jobs.

Johnson said: “Kaiser’s leadership was very dismissive whenever we spoke about our concerns or our experiences. They like to tell us things like, ‘We find it inappropriate,’ and they adding, ‘But it’s good for us.’

Jared Garcia, co-director of the negotiating committee, said he hopes the strike will last less than a month, but is willing to see it continue as long as it lasts.

“Pimples won’t work,” said Garcia. “Kaiser knows the limitations of recruiting mental health professionals — let alone replacing the 2,400 members of our organization at this time.”

Last year, Kaiser entered into a $200 million settlement with the state of California, agreeing to pay a $50 million settlement and invest another $150 million over five years to resolve delays in selection of moral health.