OAKLAND, Calif. – Thousands of Kaiser Permanente nurses and mental health therapists announced they will walk off the job Wednesday in a one-day strike at Kaiser facilities across Northern California, with mental health workers raising alarms about new technology they say is replacing licensed clinicians.
What we know:
The strike was called by the National Union of Health Care Workers, which represents approximately 2,400 mental health therapists across Northern California. About 23,000 Kaiser nurses joined the picket lines in a sympathy strike. The work stoppage runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Picket lines formed outside Kaiser facilities in Oakland, across the Bay Area and in Sacramento.
What they’re saying:
The union says the dispute is not about pay. Instead, workers are concerned about changes to how Kaiser screens patients who call in seeking help for mental health or substance abuse problems.
According to an unfair labor practices complaint filed by the National Union of Health Care Workers, Kaiser previously used licensed clinical social workers or therapists — professionals holding a Ph.D. or master’s degree — to screen patients by phone and direct them to care. The union says those positions are now filled by workers required to have only a high school diploma.
The union also raised concerns about a Kaiser app that allows patients to complete initial screening themselves, without speaking to a clinician.
“This would be a 15-minute call with a licensed therapist that they’ve replaced with two yes or no questions,” said Kaiser therapist Jess Metzinger. “The concern is people are being incorrectly booked.”
The other side:
Kaiser Permanente disputed the union’s characterization, saying in a statement that the NUHW was citing contract language that has existed in labor contracts for decades and making assumptions about the company’s proposals.
Kaiser said it has doubled its mental health workforce over the past 10 years and has never conducted a reduction in force of mental health clinicians in Northern California.