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Nearly 400 strikers participated in a major action today outside Kaiser headquarters in Pasadena. The event began with a food and toy distribution at a nearby union hall before a caravan of strikers, snaking their way down , marched to Kaiser headquarters with a giant cardboard heart in tow.
We had an extra good week in San Diego, where several workers were special guests at the Labor Council’s holiday party on Wednesday. They spoke about the strike and got several dozen participants to sign our support petition.
We had an eventful day on the picket lines, especially in Lancaster, where Kaiser security illegally walked around with a clipboard taking notes on what they saw. Strikers recorded Kaiser’s illegal surveillancing, and Kaiser’s overzealous head of security was so bothered by it that he grabbed the phone of a striker and threw it on the ground.
Between the National Association of Social Workers and the leaders of the State Senate and Assembly, a growing number of influential stakeholders are telling Kaiser it needs to settle this contract now.
This week, State Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire joined Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas in calling on Kaiser CEO Greg Adams to “agree to the union’s reasonable contract proposals.”
Week Six of our strike is off to a festive start. We had a lot of fun with our Where’s Waldo/Where’s Kaiser theme. Someone on the San Diego line even put a Greg Adams nametag on the fat cat.
We commemorated the one-month mark of our strike with two boisterous rallies in Pasadena and Oakland. About 300 strikers converged on Kaiser’s regional headquarters in Southern California.
We started Week 5 with new people on the picket lines and a strong showing in Los Angeles after Kaiser and the police blocked the distribution of food boxes on Friday.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas signed a powerful letter on our behalf to Kaiser CEO Greg Adams; Kaiser blocked groceries from being delivered to striking workers; we shine light on Kaiser’s “efficiencies”; and of course, there was guacamole.
In a powerful display of strength and solidarity, more than 100 of us from across Southern California — along with allies from other unions — stopped Kaiser from hosting a successful party for major healthcare purchasers last night at Petco Park in San Diego.