Kaiser Strike in Southern California Enters Second Month with Rallies

Kaiser Permanente Workers Enter Second Month of Strike Amid Protests

In Southern California, Kaiser Permanente mental health professionals have marked the beginning of their second month of an indefinite strike with spirited demonstrations in front of the Kaiser headquarters in Pasadena and Oakland.

On November 21, approximately 300 strikers, all affiliated with the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), gathered at Kaiser's Southern California regional headquarters. Equipped with noisemakers, sound systems, and megaphones, they vocally confronted executives inside, citing staffing shortages and violations by Kaiser.

Anticipating a strong protest, Kaiser secured the parking area and dispatched additional police and security personnel. Security attempted to establish a perimeter to keep workers away from the building's entrance, but several strikers bypassed these measures, occupying the main entrance for over an hour.

Participants used elevated planters to address the crowd. When a security guard asked Kaiser therapist Ligia Pacheco to step down, she retorted, “Mido menos de 5 pies. ¿Por qué me tienen miedo?”

Among the demonstrators, Kaiser patient Lulu Favela expressed solidarity, stating she used her last sick day to support the strike. ADAPT therapist Kassaundra Gutiérrez-Thompson shared her frustration, mentioning the need to strike for 32 days to secure adequate bathroom breaks.

The protest received media attention from outlets like Fox-11, Spectrum TV, Latin American News Network, and Pasadena Now.

Simultaneously, in Northern California, around 50 union delegates and a visiting striker from the south led chants outside Kaiser’s corporate headquarters during lunch, demanding resolutions with slogans like “Resuélvanlo ya” and “Si no recibimos ninguna pensión, ustedes no tendrán paz.”

Speakers included Northern California social worker Ilana Marcucci-Morris, who stated, “Estamos aquí para decirles a nuestros homólogos del sur de California que estamos con ustedes. Nosotros en el norte de California hemos estado donde ustedes están, y somos evidencia de que permanecer más fuertes un día más que Kaiser es la única manera de ganar el contrato justo que ustedes y sus pacientes merecen.”

Another speaker, Los Angeles Kaiser therapist Ana Vargas, recounted a negotiation session before the strike, questioning why Southern California workers lack pensions like their Northern counterparts and are denied equal critical patient care time. She quoted Kaiser’s negotiator saying, “because it costs us money,” despite Kaiser's $50 billion reserves. “Tienen más de 50 mil millones en reservas. Están pagando a los esquiroles más de 13,000 dólares por semana cuando costaría 2,000 dólares dar una pensión a uno de los terapeutas del sur de California durante todo el año,” Vargas remarked, highlighting corporate greed at the expense of patient care.

Vargas emphasized, “Queremos volver a trabajar. Extrañamos el trabajo que hacemos, pero sabemos que no es sostenible.”

The Southern California strike began on October 21. Despite two negotiation sessions in the first week, no further meetings have been scheduled.

Shay Loftus, a Northern California psychologist, stated, “Los que toman decisiones en Kaiser están en el norte de California y necesitan escuchar de nosotros que la única manera de terminar la huelga es comenzar a tratar a todos sus profesionales de salud mental con respeto y justicia.” The Northern California therapists previously struck for ten weeks in 2022 to secure time for patient care tasks outside therapy sessions, addressing burnout and staff shortages.

Kaiser agreed to allocate seven hours weekly for these tasks to Northern California full-time therapists, but offers only four hours to their Southern counterparts. Additionally, Kaiser hesitates to provide equivalent retirement benefits to Southern California mental health workers as offered to other employees.

These disparities raise questions about Kaiser’s commitment to revamping its mental health system, as mandated by a $200 million settlement with state regulators in October 2023. Despite acknowledging insufficient staffing and long patient wait times, Kaiser has yet to implement a state-approved corrective plan.

Southern California therapist Pacheco stated, “Si Kaiser no puede brindarnos suficiente tiempo para hacer nuestro trabajo, entonces nunca podrá arreglar su sistema de atención de salud mental. Demasiadas vidas se han visto perjudicadas por la indiferencia de Kaiser hacia la salud mental, y vamos a hacer huelga durante el tiempo que sea necesario para que Kaiser valore nuestro trabajo y a las personas que cuidamos.”

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