Since October 2024, nearly 2,400 Kaiser mental health care workers across Southern California, from Los Angeles to San Diego, have been on a strike that shows no signs of concluding. Despite numerous negotiation attempts, the latest on Presidents Day ended without progress, leading to a plan for mediation set for March 10th.
Kaiser Permanente has faced criticism for its stance in negotiations. The company’s spokesperson, Terry Kanakri, maintained that the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) is not engaging productively. According to Kanakri, “The union’s demands remain essentially the same,” despite 26 sessions since July 2024. This has left both parties at a standstill, with the union claiming they’ve made numerous revised offers.
The Lingering Impact on Patient Care
Amidst the ongoing strikes, serious concerns about the quality of mental health care provided to Kaiser’s patients in Southern California have been raised. Kaiser’s troubled history includes a $200 million settlement in 2023 over failure to provide adequate mental health services. The Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) found Kaiser cancelled over 110,000 appointments during the Northern California strike in 2022, a direct violation of state law.
Currently, Union research director, Fred Seavey, has filed complaints indicating that Kaiser has:
- Canceled psychotherapy groups for thousands.
- Placed patients on 30-day waitlists, despite legal requirements for quicker follow-up.
- Inappropriately referred severe cases to external virtual providers primarily suitable for mild to moderate cases.
What Are the Workers Fighting For?
The primary demands of the striking workers include improvements in retirement benefits and better working conditions which allow therapists more time outside of appointments to manage their workload effectively. Kaiser, however, has resisted extending a defined pension benefit that it provides to nearly all other employees to the NUHW therapists in Southern California.
A Wider Look at Industry Challenges
The reluctance to invest adequately in mental health services isn’t unique to Kaiser. Jeff McCombs, a health economist from USC, noted in 2022 that mental health services generally see lower returns on investment, which has led to underfunding across the sector for decades.
A Tug of War with No End in Sight
Governor Gavin Newsom has stepped in, suggesting mediation to resolve the stalemate — a method that proved effective in the Northern California strike of 2022. Yet, Kaiser’s resistance mirrors broader issues within the healthcare industry concerning mental health investment.
The need for robust mental health services has only grown, exacerbated by events like the recent devastating Los Angeles wildfires. With the strike now extending over several months and impacting thousands of patients, the road to a resolution remains uncertain. As the situation unfolds, the eyes of California and the nation remain fixed on how one of the state’s largest healthcare providers will navigate these turbulent waters.
