Kaiser and The National Union of Healthcare Workers, or the NUHW, have been in contract negotiations for more than a year, and they still haven’t reached a deal.
Tuesday’s resolution targets three specific demands in Kaiser's latest contract proposal. The first would allow Kaiser to outsource care, something the NUHW says could lead to more layoffs. The second allows it to exclude therapists from clinical decision-making, and the third would allow it to refer more patients to AI-based therapy platforms.
In a statement to KALW, Kaiser says it “does not use AI to make clinical decisions or replace licensed clinicians.” But Kaiser therapists say they’re already seeing AI in the workplace, including in patient triage.
“AI or these surveys or these questionnaires can't really tell if someone's in mania, right? If they are at risk of harming themselves or other people," says Tianna Luy, a therapist at Kaiser San Francisco.
Luy argues that AI can’t match the level of care that comes from years of clinical training. And that this resolution holds weight for the entire industry.
"With Kaiser being so big and one of the biggest private healthcare providers, [it] does have influence. Is this the way that we really want the profession to go?" Asks Luy.
Kaiser is also in the middle of contract negotiations with its nurses. Yesterday, Kaiser nurses picketed across 22 California hospitals, raising concerns about staffing, pay, and the use of AI in their patient care.
Kaiser and the NUHW still have to schedule their next contract negotiation.
