Mental health care workers at Kaiser Permanente are set to return to the picket lines on Thursday, November 14, at multiple Southern California medical centers, including one in Downey. The ongoing dispute between the workers and management has led to this continued action.

The National Union of Healthcare Workers officials announced that workers would be picketing at 9333 Imperial Highway, Downey, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. This location is one of several across Southern California where demonstrations will take place throughout the week.

The picketing workers include psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, addiction medicine counselors, and other mental health professionals who provide behavioral health care for Kaiser’s 4.8 million members in various healthcare settings.

This labor dispute comes one year after Kaiser reached a $50 million settlement with state regulators who said the health care giant’s mental health care system lacked adequate staffing, causing lapses in access to care for patients.

Kaiser officials have stated that the organization has invested more than $1 billion since 2020 to expand its mental health capabilities in California, including hiring more therapists, adding resources, and reducing wait times for patients. However, the union maintains that more needs to be done to address their concerns.