This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA.
As the second week of the strike unfolds, over 2,400 Kaiser mental health workers in Southern California continue their fight for better wages and working conditions. The strike, led by the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), comes in response to ongoing issues like high turnover rates, short staffing, and minimal break times between patient appointments.
This situation mirrors the strike of mental health workers in Northern California two years ago, who managed to win more paid prep time between appointments and commitments to better staffing. Even if the strike of two years ago failed to address all of mental health workers’ needs, it still resulted in some gains. However, these improvements were not extended to their Southern California counterparts, thus leading to the current strike.
Kaiser’s refusal to apply those gains to Southern California, and the ongoing strike, highlights how the fight for more dignity is a constant, continuous struggle. This strike serves as a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when we unite to advocate for better conditions—not just for ourselves, but for our colleagues and patients. The fight is far from over, but hopefully this can become an example of what it means to stand up to the ongoing nightmare of bosses’ abuses, short staffing, and overwork, to come together and say enough is enough!
Click here to read the article printed in the 10-30-24 Healthcare Newsletter
