SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Thousands of Kaiser Permanente mental health workers in Los Angeles and San Diego are set to strike starting Monday morning, including more than 300 workers in San Diego.
The strike will take place at the Clairemont Mesa location from Monday through Friday, with the exception of Tuesdays when San Diego workers will join the strike in Los Angeles.
Jim Clifford, a therapist at Kaiser’s psychiatry office in Otay Mesa, has worked at Kaiser for 23 years and will be among those on strike. Clifford, a member of the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), said this strike aims to secure a contract for Southern California workers similar to the one Northern California workers have.
The union’s contracts expired on Sept. 30, and negotiations are ongoing. Clifford said he hopes Kaiser will offer a package that attracts and retains mental health workers, with a particular focus on restoring the union's pension plan.
“We're basically the only employee group at Kaiser that doesn't have pensions,” Clifford said. “That makes it harder for us to attract and keep people because they see that we're overbooked, and they feel like they can work elsewhere and have a pension.”
While Clifford said more psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, addiction medicine counselors, and marriage and family therapists are needed, Kaiser reported that its mental health workforce has grown by 30% over the last four years.
The union is negotiating for more patient care time, requesting seven hours per week for tasks like patient calls, emails, and appointments. Kaiser countered with six hours, arguing the union's request would take up 40% of the workweek that could be spent with patients.
The union is also pushing for pay raises, claiming that non-mental health workers at Kaiser earn 40% more. Kaiser has proposed an 18% pay increase over a four-year contract.
Another key issue is the restoration of pensions, which were eliminated a decade ago. The union said the lack of pensions has led to increased turnover and weakened Kaiser’s mental health training program.
“Kaiser basically punished us by taking away our pension because we’ve been advocating for mental health and our patients,” Clifford said.
In response, Kaiser said it offers competitive retirement benefits, including a fully subsidized retiree medical plan and a defined contribution retirement plan with a possible 9% employer contribution.
A Kaiser spokesperson also said, "From the beginning of bargaining, the union has been slow-walking the negotiation process, including on the very issues the union has identified as key to reaching a contract. If a strike happens, it will be because NUHW leadership chose this path rather than a path to an agreement."
