Kaiser mental health workers spend Labor Day walking picket lines as strike enters 2nd week

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Usually Labor Day is celebrated with picnics and parades. But employees in Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s mental health unit spent much of the day walking in picket lines.

The striking Kaiser employees — which include 57 psychologist, social workers, nurses and counselors — are demanding better pay and increased staffing.

They said the current pay scale isn’t enough to cover the soaring cost of living here. Honolulu’s inflation rate is now about 6.3%.

“It is extremely difficult for us to meet the cost of living. Over 60% of our staff actually have second jobs. And you know, we’re talking about people with advanced degrees,” said Andrea Kumura, a clinical social worker with Kaiser.

Kaiser’s mental health employees said they haven’t received pay raises to match the cost of living increases because — even though they organized four years ago — they don’t have a contract with Kaiser.

But Kaiser said it offers attractive pay packages and has hired 28 clinicians in its mental health division since the beginning for 2021.

“We are committed to remaining an employer of choice for mental health professionals by continuing to offer our employees market-leading wages and benefits,” the company said.

High costs are not only hurting employees but are also effecting employers.

Businesses like restaurants and service providers have seen a steep rise in food and energy costs during the past year.

And, due to the labor shortage, many establishments have had to increase wages by up to 10% during the past year. Some offer cash bonuses to new hires.

“Costs have gone up across the board no matter what business you’re in — whether it’s just from your direct costs, labor and other overhead,” said Ryan Tanaka, chair of the Hawaii Restaurant Association.

Kaiser’s mental health employees and management will resume negotiations on Tuesday.

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