LOS ANGELES — “The way Kaiser operates they make consistency in patient care difficult. This impacts the sustainability and longevity of this kind of work. They steal your passion,” Yolando Centeno Raphael told the Militant at a Feb. 7 picket line and rally of 200 outside Kaiser’s Sunset hospital here.
Some 2,400 Southern California members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers have been on strike for 16 weeks. Their ranks include therapists, psychologists and other mental health workers. Pay and unsustainable workloads are key issues.
“What’s this about? Basic care,” and “No to health care factory,” they chanted. The union has been organizing picketing Monday to Friday at Kaiser hospitals throughout the area. The next negotiating session is scheduled for Feb. 17.