After five years of rancor and contentious negotiations, Kaiser Permanente and the union representing mental health therapists in Northern California have tentatively agreed to a new contract.
The three-year deal between the National Union of Healthcare Workers and Kaiser covers 1,400 therapists, psychologists, and social workers. It averts an open-ended strike that was scheduled to begin Monday, and includes raises of 15 percent over the life of the contract.
It also addresses therapists’ biggest gripe: a shortage of follow-up appointments. For every new patient seen, Kaiser has agreed to reserve four follow-up appointments for existing patients.
Jim Clifford, a therapist at the Kaiser facility in Otay Mesa, said patients will notice the change.
“The effect of this for them is that they will start to see sooner appointments available, which is what we’ve been calling for all along," Clifford said.
“We greatly respect and value our therapists and mental health care workers,” said Gregory Adams, group president and regional president of Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. “This agreement is aligned with our commitment to improve our quality and affordability and to lead a 21st century model for mental health care in the nation.”
The union representing therapists in Southern California is still working on its own labor agreement with Kaiser. Clifford said he hopes the results of the tentative deal in Northern California will jump start negotiations.
