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Kaiser reaches tentative agreement with mental health workers, ending months-long strike
More than 100 striking workers picketed in front of Kaiser Hollywood in February.
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Robert Garrova
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LAist
)
Topline:
A six-month strike involving Kaiser behavioral health workers has come to an end now that the union that represents them has reached a tentative agreement with the health organization, authorities said this week.
The backstory: Kaiser Permanente therapists, psychologists and social workers have been picketing in California since October. They asked for better pay and retirement benefits, as well as more time to handle patient care outside of appointments. Several demonstrators were arrested during a February protest in front of Kaiser’s Hollywood medical center, and eight mental health care workers participated in a five-day hunger strike. The National Union of Healthcare Workers say it’s the longest strike of mental health workers in U.S. history.
What’s next? Details of the agreement are expected later this week. Both Kaiser and the union say they expect to have the contract ratified by Thursday.
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