Kaiser mental health workers hit the picket lines in major California cities over pay, staffing
SACRAMENTO – More than 2,000 Northern California Kaiser Permanente mental health workers are expected to walk off the job and hit the picket lines Monday morning.
The strike began at 6 a.m. in several major cities, including San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno and Sacramento.
The union representing the psychologists, therapists, counselors and social workers going on strike says they've been working without a contract since September. At issue is pay, representatives say, and the need for more staffing and time to complete administrative work for their patients.
"The new state laws that have gone into effect say that we get to see our patients within a two-week window and we don't have adequate clinicians to actually do that anymore," said Kathy Ray, a licensed clinician social worker and union member. "The pace and the burden of working within Kaiser has gotten too much and our patients aren't getting adequate care."
In a statement, Kaiser says it has proposed nearly seven and a half hours each week for administrative tasks such as documentation, planning and other office activities, but that the union is demanding nine hours.
Kaiser is also calling Monday's strike a "harmful" bargaining tactic but notes it has plans in place to meet patients' mental health needs.