We started the third week of our strike with good energy on the picket lines and strong interest from media and state authorities about Kaiser’s inadequate and incomplete plan to continue providing critical mental health services.
We issued this press release today spelling out the basic failings of Kaiser’s plan, which amounted to just over a single page. Already, we’ve gotten interest from the LA Times and San Diego Union Tribune as well as from LA’s NPR affiliate whose story should be posted soon.
If you read Kaiser’s plan, which was submitted to the Department of Managed Health Care shortly before the beginning of the strike, you’ll see that:
- There’s no specific information about how it intends to provide the care that is done by striking workers.
- Kaiser promised to provide more detailed information during the first week of the strike. However, according to the agency and journalists who have contacted the agency, Kaiser still hasn’t submitted any updates to its plan.
One thing Kaiser is doing is spending money on dishonest ads about our strike and the proposals that have been made during negotiations. A great way to counter Kaiser’s messaging is to present the facts via social media.
This TikTok video by Bliss Baker was widely viewed by app users amassing 84,000 views, nearly 650 comments, 750 saves and nearly 1,300 shares.
This post is super effective because Bliss lays it out almost like an elementary school teacher, explaining the situation and always leading with the impact on patients. It’s an important reminder to everyone watching that there is a public interest in us winning this fight.
Many of us are active on social media and IT IS WORKING. Collectively we have hundreds of thousands of views between us. The more of us who are out in front of this, the more our message spreads and the more people learn about Kaiser’s broken mental health system.
State regulator update
NUHW President Emeritus Sal Rosselli had a conversation today with the Department of Managed Health Care. The agency is ready to investigate potential violations by Kaiser. If you’re aware of problems happening inside of Kaiser, please contact research@nuhw.org.
Grocery Support
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.
Hardship Funds
The Hardship fund committee will meet Wednesday to discuss the first round of disbursements. If you haven’t already, please share the Hardship Donation link with friends and family, and ask them to donate whatever they can.
Today is the deadline to request the first round of hardship funds. If you’d like to request funds, check out the Hardship Fund FAQs and Disbursement Rules and fill out the Hardship Fund Request Form.
These links can all be found on our Psych-Social webpage, which also includes information about Financial Support Resources and Temporary and Outside Agency Work.
Picket line photos
See strike line photos and videos on NUHW’s social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Share your strike line footage with us by emailing it to photos@nuhw.org.
