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Kaiser Mental Health Care Strike: Day 22

Our fourth week on strike began with energetic picket lines, a powerful action in Los Angeles and fresh interest from local media. Reporters from KNBC and Telemundo visited the Anaheim picket line, college newspaper reporters and the county Labor Federation president visited the San Diego picket line and KNX news radio sent a reporter to the picket line outside the Los Angeles Medical Center.

Also in Los Angeles, a contingent of strikers briefly took over an intersection outside the hospital (away from the Emergency Department) in a demonstration that we are ready to fight harder for a fair contract.

More Workers Joining the Strike

Two workers began striking today after dealing with the chaos inside Kaiser’s system during the strike and more workers are planning to join them over the next week.

Upcoming Actions

Every week there’s an effort to bring people together on the same picket line. This week, we’re gathering Thursday in Fontana to enjoy some homemade spicy guacamole. The location is 9961 Sierra Avenue in Fontana.

On Wednesday, November 20, we’ll be handing out new strike t-shirts to everyone on the picket line.

Save The Date: On Thursday, November 21, we’ll be holding simultaneous lunchtime actions outside Kaiser headquarters in Pasadena and Oakland. While strikers gather in Pasadena, Kaiser mental health workers in Northern California will gather outside Kaiser’s corporate headquarters in Oakland to rally in support of the strike and a fair contract in Southern California. More details to come.

Hardship Fund info and other resources

This week, approximately $150,000 in hardship fund proceeds will be disbursed by our member-led volunteer committee. NUHW’s Executive Board has approved allocating $125,000 from our reserve fund to the hardship fund and allocating up to $125,000 per week throughout the strike. 

The hardship fund is a member-led effort to ensure people have additional resources to stay out as long as it takes to win. It is not, however, intended to replace weekly wages.

You can find the official rules for disbursement here and the application form here. Available funds are based solely on funds received through the crowdfunding campaign. Note that applications for the fund are now due Fridays at 5pm for disbursement for the following Friday.

Be sure to share the donation links with your extended networks to ensure we have adequate funds for disbursement. Please be patient as the committee works out our workflow and challenges with distributing such large amounts of money. 

If you need support with groceries, we have food donations coming in from labor allies. If you would like a grocery box, please fill out this form or ask your organizer to share the form with you. 

The Los Angeles Labor Federation, in partnership with the non-profit Labor Community Services, has access to resources and information on how to defer mortgage and utility payments, as well as access to other financial support. Check our campaign website under “Financial Support Services Research” for further info.

Picket line photos

See the gallery of photos below, and see more on NUHW’s social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

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