[editor: The following email from a former Kaiser Permanente Northwest employee who suffered racial discrimination in her position at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, was received by us quite some time ago, but somehow got lost in our inbox. Our apologies to Ms. Bell. In other news, the Margaret McIlroy pregnancy discrimination case went to court in Honolulu on February 14, 2006 after the judge wondered why Kaiser wanted to settle out of court for a pittance. Never forget who is paying for Kaiser to defend these lawsuits: Member premiums and co-pays.]
Dear Sirs (Mesdames):
I am pasting on to this message an article/commentary that I submitted to Portland IMC regarding my experience as a Black female with a disability, having suffered (along with other professional level minorities) often overt bias and illegal discriminatory treatment while employed at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, from 1999 until 2001 — an entity, I soon learned, that never has and still does not exist (thus ‘it’ can not be sued, nor defended).
Corporate racism and other forms of discrimination against a number of minority groups is a longstanding and flourishing industry within itself in Oregon. Agencies like Kaiser NW (or whatever they call themselves) reap the advantages of their placement in inner North and Northeast Portland. The Research Center is continually seeking to examine Blacks and other minority ‘specimens’. However, within the organization they have little to no interest in interacting with those groups on an intellectual or academic level. I hope that the concept and integration of Civil Rights has not lost its value in Oregon and America in the wake of all the discussion of securing democracy in Iraq and other remote or rhetorical diversions. In all, thank you for this opportunity to speak.
With regards,
Marcia Bell, MPA:HA
PS – “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you… (Matt. 5:44)
Is Racism ‘Business as Usual’ at Kaiser NW?
author: Fired Black Employee
At the Kaiser Center for Health Research, although reported racist behavior of supervisors and decision-makers have been acknowledged by its direction, the organization readily expends unlimited finances to maintain a virtually all white professional level staff.
The author of this article has been embroiled in a longstanding (albeit losing) battle with this corporate giant who, rather than confront the reported perceptions of minority employees who have reported concerns of racist attitudes, actions and behaviors of its managers and supervisors, by even its Direction, it elects to spend countless thousands of dollars, hours and energy defending them – and in turn their racism.
Neither the EEOC, BOLI or the Federal Courts appear much interested in a minority’s, especially,a Black’s perception of bigotry and its accompanied discrimination. The author worked for Kaiser CHR for two years. In that time she, and a Mexican American colleague suffered through continuous intimidation, threats and micromanagement. Within this period neither of the two were hired or promoted into any of the collective 50 positions for which they applied (for a number of peculiar though always feasible reasons – namely incompetence; the Black was (the only) Master’s level staff with 12 years of professional clinical experience; the Mexican received a Bachelors with Honors, “but those people can’t…). However, their blond colleague of 22 years, still in graduate school managed to be promoted to a management position with three months of hire.
The description of unceasing abuses including scapegoating, confidentiality policing, unreasonable schedule flexibility, and production standards, and signing of pre-disciplinary contracts inflicted during the summer of 2000 could fill volumes. After all staff but she left the department, Project Investigator, Dr. Greg Clarke, and Project Manager, Stephanie Hertert, refused to provide backup assistance to that who complains. When she requested ‘reasonable accommodation’.
Due to depression she was asked to quit. After she reported her ‘perceived’ concerns to Human Resources, no wrong-doing was found. Effectively, nor so by the EEOC, BOLI or the Courts. Therefore, one may reasonably say that racism is a protected commodity and surely ‘business as usual’ at Kaiser NW, Oregon. (Please see Federal Civil Case ‘Bell vs. Kaiser’ [03-35876] for further info).
WOW – thanks for posting this. I will be citing you in a flash.
Hi. My mom worked for Kaiser. She worked security and was fired unjustly. She is a white woman but she knows about the racism that exists at Kaiser as time and again she was called to patrol for ‘black males’ repeatedly.(Hardly ever for a white person…) When she refused to treat people rudely she was fired on trumped up charges. Contact me if you want, and I will get my mom intouch with whom ever wants to know about the racism she witnessed and refused to join in on.
Marcia was mistaken in concluding that she and the “Mexican employee” were the only ones subjected to intimidation and micromanagement on this particular team at Kaiser CHR. It happened to me, and I am white. The work environment there was toxic, and I quit after a year, because I no longer wanted to put up with such treatment.
I know racial discrimination exists out there, but about the only good thing I can say about the people Marcia cited is that they are equal-opportunity jerks.
I was recently terminated from Kaiser Santa Clara. IN my department there are few Caucasians. The Filipino manager does favors for other Filipinos, and places Caucasian management team members in staff roles. I have never worked for such an organization. I am unemployed, but relieved to be out of there.
I was also recently terminated at Kaiser Santa Clara for Discrimination and Lack of evidence and “unequal” treatment.I definitely agree on the blog of the person last 12/16/10.Everything she said is true and I want to add some more that I discovered-“that Kaiser Permanente is not a Friendly environment to work at”.It is not an equal opportunity because the Manager hired her Assistant Manager who I discovered from other Staffs before I got terminated is her “bestfriend”.And it so happened that that Asst. Mngr didn’t like me(Note:They have both Italian blood).So,whatever the Asst. Mngr. tells the Mngr.,the Mngr. will 100 % belive her and side her story.And I also notice that,if you have a strong accent of your native tongue or you don’t have a “twang” of those people who are born and raise here,you will be place at the end of the line.I thought my Dream came through when I got hired from this Organization,but I was wrong.In fact,it was a beginning of my nightmare.I’m glad to be out of there and would never dream of coming back there again.For those people who is involved in this,what comes around,goes around.
I was fired from kaiser about 5 yrs ago.No warning or anything came into work and was taken off the schedule.Everyone knew but me.My first day of orientation I was ridiculed the next day for asking the girl who oriented me if there was cna’s that worked on our floor(i was hired as a ER Tech)but been a cnsa for many yrs.My manager was white and I am a black women that got disciplined for asking about a position.I was already warned Kaiser was racist but wanted to judge for myself.Iwas terminated for no real reason except for the manager saying we don’t see eye to eye,along with being put on the do not hire list.Immediately I contacted human resources but nothing was done.Does anybody know someone to contact regarding this discrimination with Kaiser. I live in San Diego CA.
I was never employed by KP, but I was a patient there and I can tell you that I experienced institutional racism, which always manifests itself in a person to person mode; one morning I came in at about 1:30am, walking in about as stiff as a board due to neck and upper back pain following a rear end collision. The on due emergency nurse gave me a skepticle look after I explained to her the reason for my visit, then she told me to sit down and wait for my name to be called; she did this with a dull and dismissive tone. Now imagine this, the girl who had rear ended me while I was stopped at a red light tried yelling at ME through her barely opened window after I came over to ask her if SHE were alright. The girl yelled, “YOU WERE STOPPED!” Real funny, right? So, it’s 1:30am and I am waiting to be seen in the emergency room when in walks two young caucasian females; they are laughing, giggling, poking one another in the ribs, their bodies are obviously not in any pain whatsoever. The same intake nurse asks if she can help them. They are all smiles when they explain that they were involved in a car accident. What does the caucasian nurse do? “Oh, my! Oh, my goodness! Do you girls need wheelchairs?! Let me see if we have any wheelchairs available!” And that my friends is what racial discrimination looks like up front and personal.
There is also a wide net being cast for diabled employees that are utilizing the federal and state leave acts. We are harrassed by our supervisors and written up for time loss illegally. Paper work is lost by the Release of Information department for the Matrix companies files of our time needs. Matrix is a “time Monitoring” company that Kaiser hired to ‘monitor’ fmla and ofla time loss and other illness related time loss. Kaiser physicians have REFUSED to treat because of my illnesses requiring fmla and ofla to maintain my job with Kaiser. I have even been mentally and emotionally pushed to request being certified unable to work so I dont’ have to keep going thru this abuse from the Kaiser system over and over, but the Kaiser physicians refuse to do that either! One Kaiser doctor actually stated the reason she wouldn’t disable me was because the economy wasn’t in good shape!!! WTF????? Anyway. I fight each day to deal with multiple medical issues that affect my ability to breathe, my ability to defecate, my ability to think. I am in chronic physical pain everyday and suffer with irritable bowel syndrome. I have COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.) Chronic Depression. I take my medications and don’t abuse them. I try to do my very best to get along with everyone but there comes these moments I feel like a baby chick inthe middle of an eagle fest! ANY type of discrimination is unacceptable. My illnesses are hidden. No bandages, no color stickers,no casts or obvious differences.
anon 6/6/13 – Your story reminded me of this lawsuit:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/06/05/58265.htm
I was a temp-to-hire at Sunnyside. No latinos in the area I was at. At the end of six months, I was released and the three whites with me were hired. Several employees there made it clear they didnt want a “Mexican” there. Bosses were obviously white nationalists.
To afraid to post but, I am experiencing nothing but, discrimination. Patients have witnessed the racism, staff and self. Too many ppl are afraid to talk about what they are going through.
I’m a transfer from California and I been with Kaiser for 11 yrs, I had a phone interview.
When I got their I received nothing but dispaired of treatment.
They put me in numerous unsafe situation.
They had let me go because being a transfer without knowledge of the contract I was on probation. They let me go while I was on bereavement.
Too many things to list. The Kaiser was Hillsboro, Westside Kaiser, and he did it over the phone.
Hello,
I just wanted to reply and agree that the staff/managmt at kaiser is very racist, and it is a poorly managed, uncomfortable place to work. If you stand for fairness, doing the right thing, and treating people with respect, you are going to stand out and be rejected and more so if you are in the minority , it’s like whatever race is in the majority will rule with corruption, and the managers never have any idea what is going on in their departments, they rely on the micromanagers. I lost lose my job at kaiser after a group conspired, sobataged, and lied on me, I had no support from the manager she may have been in on it. I had worked for kaiser 13+ years, never, late, rarely called off sick, came in and did my work. The way they treat their employees and patients needs to be addressed. I can’t count the times I saw disparities in the way patients were treated and were managers made aware, but nothing was done to correct it any of the problems, instead you get booted out like I did..
Hello Joyce,
I would like to know if you plan to do anything about your situation. I think that we all should get together and DO SOMETHING about this! Even if it means going to CNN, marching to the EEOC or contacting Jesse Jackson. They can’t keep doing this to people
I was terminated September, after transfering from Vallejo, Ca. July 20. 2015. Over the phone while I was on bereavement.
I was with Kaiser Vallejo for 11 years with no disciplinary action.
I am a Malagasy Descent. My case was just dismissed from EEOC Seattle.
They haven’t even interview me before their decision.
Sorry to burst anyones bubble but the EEOC is a sham organization and is in cahoots with Kaiser Permanente. They don’t care about discrimination or anything else. I had a clear cut discrimination in pay case and they dismissed it. It was a Philipino case worker and the manager was Philipino. Total racism.
Kaiser Permanente also forces their employees to fill out surveys that votes them the best place to work and you are not allowed to answer honestly. They monitor your answers : ( What a creepy place to work