More than 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental health care workers in Southern California began a strike in mid-October and established picket lines at locations from Los Angeles to San Diego.

The strike is the second one in a little more than two years by California mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente.

The previous strike in 2022 among mental health clinicians in Northern California lasted ten weeks.

Mental health workers, represented by the National Union of Health Care Workers, prepared for a strike after declining Kaiser's terms in October.

Southern California Kaiser workers are now asking for more time in between appointments to prepare for patients.

They also want a wage increase and a pension benefit that the company provides to its Northern California clinicians.

Psychological social worker and union steward William Johnson serves on the bargaining committee.

He says, ''It's pretty simple.

We're looking for the same three top priorities that Kaiser already said yes to for our Northern California mental health care workers.''

Kaiser released a statement in response to the union's plans to strike, saying, ''NUHW leaders have been threatening to strike since before we began bargaining in July.

The union has been slow-walking negotiations despite the strong proposals Kaiser Permanente has put on the table.

The union's proposals at the table have been overreaching and unreasonable.''

The company has offered wage increases amounting to 18 % over four years and a number of other perks, according to the statement.

Jared Garcia, another union steward on the bargaining committee, said he's hoping the strike lasts less than a month, but he's prepared to see it go on as long as it takes.

On their website, Kaiser states that ''Kaiser Permanente will continue to deliver mental health and addiction medicine care during the strike and to bargain in good faith until a deal is done.''

With CalMatters, I'm Robert Meeks.