Both letters are in. On Thursday, State Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire sent a letter to Kaiser CEO Greg Adams, signed by a majority of state senators, calling on Kaiser to return to the bargaining table and settle the contract on our terms. The letter is essentially identical to the letter Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas provided Kaiser officials earlier this week.
It’s highly unusual for state legislators to take such a strong position in a labor contract dispute, but we all know Kaiser has a notorious track record of denying patients timely, adequate mental health care, especially during strikes.
On Thursday, our Research Department filed a new complaint with the California Department of Managed Health Care documenting how Kaiser has “systematically canceled psychotherapy groups for thousands of enrollees” during the strike.
Labor Notes publishes first-person account of strike
Labor Notes on Thursday published a first-person account of the strike by Adriana Webb under the headline, “Kaiser strikers say when therapists burn out, patients suffer.”
Labor Notes is a news source and organizing project for union organizers who are reinvigorating the Labor Movement, and their stories are focused primarily on how workers go about organizing to accomplish their goals.
Here is a segment of Adriana’s account:
I joined the bargaining committee for my union, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, and sat across the table from Kaiser executives for months, asking them to care about their mental health professionals and their patients.
We worked nights and weekends, crafting detailed contract proposals to address the problems we see. Kaiser’s response was always “The current contact language works for us” or “We hear you, but that doesn’t mean we agree.”
Kaiser would often walk back to the bargaining table with a so-called “comprehensive list of counter-proposals,” which was a list of 10 rejections. But we knew we weren’t asking for anything outrageous or impossible, because everything we’re asking for is what they already provide to our colleagues in Northern California.
Superhero Week
During Tuesday’s rally outside Kaiser’s Pasadena headquarters, Jade Rosario, a striking therapist, who Kaiser earlier this year honored as an “Everyday Hero,” declared that every Kaiser mental health professional is an “Everyday Hero,” even if Kaiser treats them otherwise.
So starting Monday, everyone is urged to put on capes and masks on the picket line for Superhero Week! Should be a sight to see!
Hardship funds
Hardship fund applications are due by Friday at 11:59 p.m. for disbursement on the following Friday. You can find the official rules for disbursement here and the application form here.
Be sure to share the donation links with your extended networks to ensure we have adequate funds for disbursement. Currently, weekly disbursements are being capped at $250. Please be patient as the committee works out our workflow and challenges with distributing such large amounts of money.
Picket line photos
See the gallery of photos below, and see more on NUHW’s social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
