Before a peaceful protest this morning at Kaiser Permanente’s Cadillac hospital in West L.A., staged by former employees who assertedly were terminated “unfairly,” community activist Lita Herron explained the demonstrators’ single-pronged objective:
“We are not trying to cause trouble,” she said. “We are trying to get justice for those whom we believe have been harmed.
“What we really are looking for is mediation and conversation.
“We are in touch with people within the hospital. Whether they are going to respond to us, though, will be up to them.
“We are standing out here asking them to do the right thing, to at least mediate, to at least negotiate with people who feel they have been treated unfairly.”
There were hints this morning that gaining an audience with Kaiser officials may prove an un-fordable step.
Kaiser was ready for the protestors and had prepared a wordless response.
Barred from Entering
After a brief demonstration, Eddie Jones, president of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Assn., who is leading the charge by the fired workers, attempted to walk into the hospital through the employees’ entrance, which fronts on Cadillac.
He was stopped and questioned by a security guard whose card identified her as “Karen Cannon.”
Accompanied by two journalists, Mr. Jones, nattily attired, politely stated his business. But he was firmly, quietly repelled by Ms. Cannon, who asked him to step back much farther from the entrance.
This worked out conveniently, at least for the hospital.
As Mr. Jones retreated, a tall, slender young woman, who said her name was “Ms. Dorsey,” suddenly materialized.
Mr. Jones asked to go inside to meet with an unidentified official, probably in Human Resources.
Mr. Jones turned on his professional charm in a quiet attempt to persuade her to allow him inside the hospital.
Ms. Dorsey said he would have to wait.
With that, she wheeled and strolled down the sidewalk where three benign-looking, pants-suited middle-aged women, not accidentally, just happened to be hanging out.
As Ms. Dorsey neared them, the four merged to form a little walking group that strode toward Mr. Jones, his demonstrators and the media about 30 feet away.
As the Kaiser group approached, Mr. Jones sought again to convince Ms. Dorsey of the seriousness and the urgency of his mission.
Without raising her voice, Ms. Dorsey pledged to return with a reply in 5 minutes.
After 15 minutes of fruitless waiting, Mr. Jones said Ms. Dorsey “lied.”
And that was how the action ended.
In the Beginning
At the outset of the protest, Mr. Jones announced he represented an undetermined number of fired Kaiser workers, mainly longtime employees, largely minorities.
He said the employees standing behind him “had been fired for whatever reason, had been treated unfairly for whatever reason. We are here because these former Kaiser workers are protesting the work environment, a longstanding pattern of harassment and of retaliation by firing and of racial bias.
“We want to let the public know what really is going on at Kaiser hospital.”
Deborah Ortiz Washington said she worked for Kaiser for 24 years before being discharged.
“I am here as part of the coalition,” she said, “to make three demands.
“No.1, we would like reinstatement, pending review, with full compensation of the employees.
“No. 2, we would like an end to all retaliatory practices, including harassment and a hostile environment.
“Finally, we want fair arbitration for all employees.”
Mr. Jones may be contacted at comactwin@yahoo.com
