Jessika Park grew up in foster care, and it was that experience that led her to become a therapist.
She started her career working with at-risk youth and intellectually disabled children and adults before joining Kaiser as a therapist in Stockton.
Advocating for those who can’t, or don’t know how, is natural for Park.
“I’m pretty outspoken,” she said. “I like to take an ownership role.”
So it’s only fitting that Park has recently become a union steward after attending a steward training in Sacramento organized by NUHW in April.
“It was nice to make contacts,” Park said of the training. “To see people who have been stewards for a long time and open dialogue and conversations about why it’s so important to help the rest of the membership be informed about their rights and the corporations that we work for.”
Park, who read the union contract when she was first hired at Kaiser, was already acting as a steward at her workplace.
“Everybody always came to me with questions regarding our contract,” she said.
But the training helped Park hone her skills and gave her more confidence to take on the leadership role.
“It helped me understand our contract and rights, how to advocate for ourselves and for other members who are part of the union,” said Park, who is part of a union for the first time.
“I like that we’re at the same level with management,” she added.
This will be vital for Park and her coworkers as Kaiser therapists in Northern California bargain their next union contract. Park is part of the bargaining team.
“We’re fighting for more time to meet the needs of our patients,” she said. “We also don’t have enough mental health workers, which hurts our patients. We’re not able to provide timely access and recurring appointments.”
Attending the steward training made Park feel more prepared to face management in negotiations and make sure they are following the contract at her worksite.
“It’s nice to take a bigger leadership role and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do.”
