SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — After 196 days on the picket line, Kaiser Permanente's mental health workers have finally reached a tentative agreement with the healthcare giant.
The breakthrough comes after one of the longest healthcare worker strikes in recent California history, with union members set to vote on the new contract Thursday.
Despite the agreement, the transition back to work hasn't been smooth for all employees.
Jim Clifford, a therapist with 24 years of service at Kaiser, experienced an unexpected setback when attempting to return to his position on Monday.
"Yes, we're all looking forward to getting back to work and seeing our patients," Clifford said. "We've all been told across Southern California that they're suddenly not ready for us to come back to work, so we're insisting that we need to be paid our full pay this week because we're ready to work."
When contacted about the situation, Kaiser Permanente stated they needed a few days to coordinate a work plan to ensure continuity of patient care before bringing all striking workers back.
The healthcare provider is withholding further comment until the new contract has been officially ratified, leaving details of the agreement under wraps for now.
The strike, which began in October, centered around several key demands. When previously interviewed, Clifford explained that more than 2,000 mental health workers across Southern California were pushing for:
- Better compensation
- Increased time for patient care
- Restoration of pension benefits
"We're very proud of all our workforce," Clifford said. "It was worth it, for the goals we were trying to achieve and to provide quality mental health care for our patients."
Sal Rosselli, President Emeritus of the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), acknowledged the agreement's significance while emphasizing what challenges remain.
"You know, we made some progress in 196 days, but we're not there yet in achieving equity," Rosselli said.
The union isn't stopping with this contract. They're also pressing lawmakers to pass legislation at the state level that would ensure better pay for clinicians and improved patient reimbursement.
"We've sponsored two particular bills, one in the assembly, by Doctor Baines, that is for Kaiser patients," Rosselli said. "It provides an expedited system for patients to get reimbursed for care that they have, but they have to get outside of Kaiser because Kaiser denied the care. The second bill is for parity for clinicians for compensation. It's offered by Senator Scott Weiner in the Senate and it provides a process, where Kaiser and other providers have to give the legislature information about how it establishes compensation for mental health professionals versus medical care technicians."
Union representatives plan to be at the Capitol on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. for a hearing to continue advocating for changes to the workplace environment.
"Assembly member Mia Banta, who is the chair of Assembly Health, called a special hearing to focus on Kaiser's problems, lack of appropriate access to mental health care," Rosselli said. "Our clinicians will be testifying along with a number of Kaiser patients and representatives of professional, behavioral health care associations who are supporting this drive."
NUWH said Kaiser has been invited to be a member of this panel on Tuesday, and has declined the invitation.
