Clinicians, Nurses and Hotel Workers Hold Kaiser Executives Bernard Tyson and Ben Chu Accountable
On Saturday, NUHW clinicians and registered nurses, along with representatives of the California Nurses Association and Unite HERE, the hotel workers’ union, leafleted the Anaheim Convention and the Anaheim Marriot to call attention to growing patient care concerns about Kaiser Permanente’s profit-driven delivery system. The occasion was the 60th anniversary celebration of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, the LA-based organization of Kaiser physicians.
Discussing concerns directly with event-goers on their way into the celebration, the leafleters took the opportunity to ask Bernard Tyson, president of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans, and Ben Chu, head of the Kaiser hospitals in Southern California, how they could justify trying to eliminate staff when Kaiser is having such quality care issues, particularly the $4 million fine from the Department of Managed Health Care for Kaiser’s failure to provide timely mental health services.
Workers report a cordial conversation with Bernard Tyson. Not discussed, however, was how Mr. Tyson and Mr. Chu could be demanding the elimination of pension plans for Kaiser employees while both Tyson, Chu, and other top executives have 8 pension plans each.