Thousands of mental health workers in California set to strike

(Oakland, CA) -- Thousands of mental health workers are set to go on strike today in California.

More than two-thousand unionized psychologists, therapists, counselors and social workers are planning to hold daily picket lines outside Kaiser Permanente facilities throughout the state.

They're demanding the healthcare company provide patients with "desperately needed" services that they claim take months for them to receive. The striking workers said in a statement that Kaiser "refuses to adequately invest in additional staff."

Kaiser claims the union is "exploiting current challenges as a bargaining tactic."