We had another day of strong turnout and high energy as we moved our picket lines to Riverside, Woodland Hills, Irvine, and Baldwin Park.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond became the first statewide office holder to join our picket line. He showed up early in Riverside with coffee for us. Other elected officials to join us Tuesday included Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, Baldwin Park Mayor Emmanuel Estrada, West Covina Mayor Brian Calderón Tabatabai, and former Congressman Gil Cisneros. We also had lots of labor support from local labor federations, the United Steelworkers, and Kaiser workers with other unions.
Julie Siegel-Turner spoke from the Riverside picket line about how painful it is for patients when they are forced to endure long waits between appointments. Ligia Pacheco talked about why she’s on strike. And yesterday Bliss Baker spoke on the LAMC picket line about the lack of time to prepare and provide adequate care for patients.
The Department of Managed Health Care has put out a press release announcing that it’s monitoring access to behavioral health care services at Kaiser during the strike.
The agency reiterated that Kaiser must continue meeting timely access standards and providing appropriate care and instructed Kaiser members to first contact Kaiser member services and then contact the DMHC Help Center at 1-888-466-2219 if their issue has not been resolved or is urgent.
As always, the big crush of media attention came on Day 1, but Spectrum TV covered our picket line in Baldwin Park and Telemundo and the Los Angeles Daily News visited our picket line in Woodland Hills. Our strike was also reported by the Associated Press, which is subscribed to by news outlets across the country.
Allies who supported us on social media included National Association of Social Workers California Chapter, United Nurses Association of California, LatinXTherapy, More Perfect Union, the L.A. Labor Federation, and Fight for a Union.
All members are encouraged to spread word of the strike on social media. Check out our Social Media Toolkit for sample posts and graphics.
In addition to posting on Instagram, NASW’s California chapter released a statement by its Executive Director Kimberly Warmsley:
The time is now to ensure realistic working conditions and provide equitable pay and recognition for professionals who deliver essential services. Social workers and therapists were on the frontlines during the pandemic; we are trusted partners and advocates for our communities. Kaiser must exemplify the commitment to providing resources, support, and fair compensation for dedicated social workers who strive to protect vulnerable populations.
We applaud the unwavering dedication of every social worker at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California who is standing up so boldly against a broken mental health system that forces patients to wait months for therapy appointments, violating state laws.
Bargaining resumes Wednesday and Friday. Members who want to attend the Friday session need to fill out this form.
See the gallery of photos below, and see more photos and videos on NUHW’s social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
