Psychologists, social workers and therapists at Kaiser Permanente clinics in Oakland and Richmond will strike for a day to protest that Martin Luther King Day is not a paid holiday.

This strike Scheduled for Monday, January 17 at Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland Medical Center and outside corporate headquarters in downtown Oakland. About 200 workers planned to march with allies and elected officials.

Strike is the latest move Kaiser Medical Institution Ixayanne Baez, a marriage and family therapist at Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland clinic, said staff were addressing structural racism within the organization.

“We lost very qualified black leadership because of a lack of response,” she said. “Because there’s very little support for cultural competence, cultural responsiveness, and support for black employees.”

after being killed George Floyd In 2020, black mental health clinicians at Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland and Richmond facilities began a conversation with health system leadership, who then agreed to make Martin Luther King Jr. Jr.’s choice for all mental health clinicians in Northern California, according to the National Coalition. Healthcare workers on paid leave.

In an emailed statement, Kaiser said the information provided to Bay Area employees confirming paid leave was incorrect and was due to a misunderstanding by local authorities.

“We regret, but are not surprised, that NUHW sought to abuse this isolated incident as part of its bargaining strategy as a justification for disrupting mental health care,” Kaiser said. “In fact, every time a contract expires, NUHW leadership has called for a strike. It’s especially disappointing that they’ve once again asked our dedicated and compassionate staff to stay away from patients who need us.”

However, Baez said that for the past two years, Kaiser has refused to finalize paid leave, saying more negotiation and meetings are necessary.

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Kaiser said it has committed to making Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a scheduled paid vacation for the entire organization starting in 2023. This year, Kaiser Permanente will extend its MLK Days of Service into a week-long event starting Monday, January 17.

“They keep saying ‘next year,’ which reminds me of how long it will take to desegregate,” said Sabrina Chaumette, an adult psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente. “It’s like they keep saying ‘the timing is not right.’ I’d rather they talk less about the importance of it Addressing systemic racism And actually no longer is a system that perpetuates racism. “

That’s especially depreciating for black mental health professionals and patients, she said, because Martin Luther King Day has been a federal holiday for nearly 40 years.

Despite meetings with management, emails and letters detailing the pressures and struggles of black clinicians, Chaumette said employees haven’t seen a change.

November Polls Among the 1,500 employees of the National Federation of Healthcare Workers found that 62% of Kaiser employees of color have experienced racism at work and 47% of providers have witnessed racism.

In December, Kaiser Permanente agreed to pay $11.5 million Settled with more than 2,000 current and former black employees in California who said they were underpaid and not considered for promotion due to racism.

As an Afro-Latino clinician, Baez said her experience at Kaiser Permanente left her feeling “isolated and excluded,” largely because she was not receiving additional compensation, resources, or support to support her efforts to develop culturally competent project leadership.

Chaumette said therapists of color are in high demand because more than 20 percent of Oakland’s population is black, and many seek clinicians who can understand their racial trauma. But she said she was one of fewer than 10 of about 137 providers identified as black at Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland clinic, creating a huge burden and workload.

Founder Jessica Dominguez said, “We’re seeing an organization that doesn’t take even the smallest steps to combat structural racism and doesn’t show the urgency to stop clinicians of color from continuing to leave. , they can provide culturally competent care to all of Kaiser’s patients,” said in a statement, lead clinician at La Clínica, Kaiser Permanente’s Spanish-language program.

Kaiser Permanente said it is proud of its staff’s efforts to promote diversity and responsive care, and is committed to creating a space that is “highly inclusive, engaging and psychologically safe.”

“To deliver on our long-term commitment to providing high-quality care, improving access to care, and addressing the inequalities, structural racism and injustice that marginalize our most vulnerable, we begin with a commitment to our workforce , including those concerned with the mental health needs of our members,” the group said.