Kaiser Permanente mental health workers resume strike in San Diego

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Kaiser Permanente's striking mental health workers returned to the picket lines in San Diego County on Tuesday as negotiations over their latest union contract remain at a stalemate.

The return to picketing at Kaiser's San Diego Medical Center comes as the open-ended walkout in Southern California focused on getting measures to reduce employee turnover and better patient care nears its fourth week.

The union representing the striking workers, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, also plans on picketing in Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside and Fontana this week.

NUHW called for the stoppage in October over demands Kaiser addresses issues in their next contract they say contribute to employee turnover and worsening patient care.

For the more than 2,000 employees encompassing therapists, psychologists, social workers and psychiatric nurses, this includes below par wages and guaranteed benefits, as well as chronic understaffing that has made it difficult to balance client appointments with patient paperwork.

“Kaiser says all the right things when it comes to mental health care, but its actions tell a different story,” Josh Garcia, a psychologist for Kaiser in San Diego, said in a press release when the strike began in late October.

“Unless we strike, our coworkers are going to keep leaving and our patients are going to keep struggling in an underfunded, understaffed system that doesn’t meet their needs," Garcia continued.

Specifically, the Southern California Kaiser behavioral health care staff are looking for protections like guarantees of seven hours for therapists to complete their duties outside therapy sessions, a restoration of pensions, and pay comparable to non-mental health Kaiser employees.

These measures were won by the behavioral health workers' counterparts in Northern California following a 10-week strike back in 2022.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Kaiser said the network remains committed to reaching an agreement with NUHW and will be "steadfast in our commitment to deliver high-quality mental health care and addiction medicine services to every single patient who comes to us for healing."

During the strike, the network said it would ensure patients do not experience disruptions to their mental health care by giving them the opportunity to see other professionals in its care network.

"We have made it clear that we are ready to resume bargaining with them when they are ready to come to the table with the same goal," the statement continued. "We have put a strong offer on the table and are eager to do the hard work needed – at the table – to reach an agreement that benefits both our valued mental health workers and the patients we all serve. "

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.