Writer of the article:
Printed Oct 21, 2024 • 2 minute learn
Article content material
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Greater than 2,400 Kaiser Permanente psychologists, therapists, social employees and different psychological well being employees in Southern California started an open-ended strike Monday over elevated workloads and staffing shortages that their union mentioned have created a “substandard” system of care.
The Nationwide Union of Healthcare Employees, which represents the staff, is negotiating a brand new contract with the Oakland-based well being big. It mentioned the strikers demand Kaiser rent extra folks to ease the burden placed on the present employees.
Commercial 2
Article content material
Kaiser mentioned in an announcement Monday that the union has been “slow-walking” negotiations, regardless of the robust proposals the well being care firm has placed on the desk. In the meantime, the union’s proposals “have been overreaching and unreasonable,” the assertion mentioned.
Picket traces went up exterior Kaiser services in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.
Antonia Rodarte, a licensed marriage and household therapist for Kaiser, traveled to LA for the work motion with about 35 colleagues from Bakersfield, California.
“We’re seeing that burnout is getting worse and worse amongst our colleagues. Persons are quitting. They’ll’t sustain with the workload,” mentioned Rodarte. “Kaiser is emphasizing numbers of sufferers to be seen over high quality of care.”
Natalie Espinoza, a psychiatric counselor, mentioned Kaiser services in Southern California are “understaffed and overworked.” She mentioned she sees as much as 10 sufferers a day, routinely works by lunch and barely has time to maintain up along with her documentation and different required paperwork.
Employees ready for the strike over the weekend after declining Kaiser’s phrases on Friday.
Commercial 3
Article content material
Kaiser referred to as the walkout “fully pointless” and mentioned the union is demanding more cash for therapists to spend much less time seeing sufferers.
“The union is proposing that full-time therapists improve the period of time they aren’t seeing sufferers to almost half of their time — no less than 19 hours every week. That is unacceptable and would considerably lower entry to appointments for psychological well being take care of our sufferers,” Kaiser mentioned.
It’s the second strike by Kaiser therapists in two years. A ten-week walkout in 2022 by psychological well being employees in Northern California ended with Kaiser agreeing to supply extra time for affected person care duties that may’t be finished throughout appointments, whereas additionally rising staffing and offering extra companies at its psychological well being clinics.
Monday’s strikers need those self same positive factors for Southern California employees, mentioned Democratic state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, who joined the LA picket line.
“These employees are saying, ‘Hey, wait a minute. You do that in Northern California. How concerning the folks in Southern California? Don’t we deserve the identical type of working situations?”‘ Durazo mentioned.
Kaiser mentioned that it was notifying sufferers whose appointments could possibly be affected by the strike. “Sufferers may have the chance to be seen by one other skilled in our in depth community of extremely certified, licensed therapists if their common supplier is engaged in a strike,” the assertion learn.
___
Related Press author Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Article content material
