Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers are set to begin an open-ended strike Oct. 21 at Kaiser Permanente locations in Southern California.
Six things to know:
1. The union represents about 2,400 mental health workers at Kaiser facilities throughout Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, Orange County and the Inland Empire, according to an NUHW news release shared with Becker's. Kaiser, a 40-hospital system based in Oakland, Calif., has about 222,300 workers total.
2. Union members authorized a strike in early October. The union and Kaiser began negotiating a new labor contract in July.
3. Kaiser told Becker's via statement that its offer during negotiations "has no takeaways. It not only increases wages, which on average are already 18% above market, but also enhances the comprehensive benefits our mental health professionals enjoy plus provides therapists more non-patient time for planning and preparation."
4. The union contends that during bargaining, Kaiser has refused to extend benefits from last year's contract for Northern California mental health workers — such as providing therapists with seven hours per week for critical patient care — to their Southern California counterparts.
5. "We want to be with our patients, but we can't keep working in a system that doesn't meet their needs and treats us like assembly line workers trying to meet a quota," Lisa Delgadillo, a licensed clinical social worker for Kaiser in Fontana, said in the union release.
6. "We will stay at the table until this deal is done," Kaiser said in its statement. "With two more bargaining dates on the calendar, we believe we can reach an agreement without a strike."