Topline:
Some 2,400 Kaiser mental health workers in Southern California say they’re prepared to go on strike if the health care provider can't meet demands aimed at reducing employee turnover and improving patient care. More than 80% of caregivers — including psychologists, social workers and marriage and family therapists — signed the strike authorization petition.
The sticking points: The National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents the Kaiser employees, said the HMO has so far rejected three main contract points. That includes increased time for caregivers to work on patients’ files outside of their scheduled appointments, better pay and restoration of pensions.
‘Not OK’: Kassaundra Gutierrez-Thompson, a psychiatric counselor with Kaiser in Los Angeles, told LAist that some therapists are seeing 14 to 16 people a day and there isn't enough time allotted for following up outside of appointments, reviewing patient’s charts and keeping up with other duties. She said patient care is suffering because therapists are burned out.
“It is a broken system and our clinicians are not OK. I mean the amount of people that have to go out for stress relief or tell me they’re having migraines or panic attacks... You know, this is not something we want to do but it feels like we have to,” Gutierrez-Thompson said.
Kaiser response: A Kaiser spokesperson said via email that the threat of a strike “distracts from the work we need to do together to reach a fair agreement and creates unnecessary concern for our members who count on our expert mental health professionals for their quality care.”
The spokesperson said Kaiser has four bargaining dates scheduled and that they are confident an agreement can be reached without disruption to patient care. Kaiser said its current proposal includes six hours a week for planning and preparation as well as an 18% wage increase over four years.
What a strike could mean for patients: Gutierrez-Thompson said if a strike does happen, intake appointments for people with urgent mental health crises may be delayed. She said current clients could see delayed care and transfers to providers outside of Kaiser.
Worker survey: In a recent survey of Kaiser mental health therapists in Southern California, 81% said they didn’t have enough time in the day for “critical patient care duties that can’t be done during therapy sessions,” according to the union.
What’s next: Contract negotiations between Kaiser and the National Union of Healthcare Workers began July 31 and are expected to continue.
Go deeper: Why it’s so hard to find a therapist in LA
