This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA.
The Southern California Kaiser mental health workers’ strike continues, now over 40 days in length. Meanwhile, Kaiser has still failed to present a proposal that includes better pay and improved staffing levels.
The long struggle on the picket lines has also led their union, NUHW, to file several complaints and put out press releases regarding Kaiser’s practices. One complaint alleges a violation of Medicare regulations due to deliberate understaffing over the years, which has led to an ongoing investigation by the California Department of Public Health.
Another complaint involves a violation of protocol concerning patient appointments during the strike. Kaiser has failed to provide risk assessments for patients during the strike, as well as failing to comply with a mandate to schedule follow-up appointments for patients on the waitlist within two weeks.
These press releases and the ongoing investigation may help the strike by showing the ongoing neglect towards staff and patients, and increase the pressure on the Kaiser administration to meet the workers’ demands.
But as of now, as the impasse continues, mental health workers in Southern California remain resolute in their commitment to fight for better working conditions.
Click here to read the article printed in the 12-04-24 Healthcare Newsletter
