ANAHEIM – Marching up and down La Palma Avenue, mental health workers wearing red shirts and holding signs reading “Stand up for patient quality care” and “Unfair labor practice strike” picketed outside the Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center on Monday.

About a hundred members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents psychologists, social workers and therapists, took to the streets, saying the healthcare giant’s mental health departments are understaffed, leading to a lower quality of service for patients.

The union strike is part of a weeklong, statewide protest planned by Kaiser Permanente’s 2,600 mental health employees at 35 locations. The union formed in 2009 and has yet to agree to a contract with Kaiser. Tuesday, the Orange County portion of the strike was expected to move to Kaiser’s Santa Ana Medical Offices, and locations in Irvine and Anaheim were planned for later in the week.

“We have been perpetually understaffed and disrespected as well,” said Jonathan Trost, a marriage and family therapist at Kaiser’s Tustin-Santa Ana medical offices. “It’s very difficult to have quality if you don’t have enough staff.”

“We haven’t had a raise in four years,” Trost said. “Counting inflation, we are making 9percent less and are doing more.”

Kaiser officials denied the allegations of understaffing and called the strike a “bargaining tactic.”

John Nelson, Kaiser Permanente’s vice president of government relations, said the not-for-profit company has increased the number of therapists at its hospitals in California by 25percent while its enrollment membership grew by 8percent.

“This appears to be their strategy and not a very productive one,“ Nelson said. “We hope they call the strike off and return to bargaining and work with us constructively in the future.”

Attempts to reach a contract have been made over the past four years, but talks between the two broke down again in December, Nelson said. Kaiser was notified of the union strike on Dec. 31.

Union officials say the past four years, since it has represented the employees, Kaiser’s mental health worker-to-patient ratio has increased, workers are underpaid and clinicians are overworked. Over the same time, union officials say the state’s largest health provider has raked in $14billion in profits.

Nelson said the hospital does not make “billions of dollars” in profits and any money made “goes directly into the organization to provide care for our patients.“

“It’s a great soundbite for them, but it’s not true,“ he said.

While its staff is out on strike, Nelson said Kaiser hospitals are working with local community providers such as psychologists in private practice for patients who are seeking help. The hospital will cover the cost.

He also said nonunion hospital psychiatrists are available to treat patients needing urgent care.

Holding a picket sign, Anne Rose, a marriage and family therapist at Kaiser Permanente Harbor Corporate Park in Santa Ana, said she’s striking because she only wants what’s best for her patients.

“We want them to get the quality care they deserve,” Rose said.

Contact the writer: 714-704-3764 or jpimentel@ocregister.com