The labor dispute comes one year after Kaiser reached a $50 million settlement with state regulators who said the health care giant's mental health care system lacked adequate staffing that caused lapses in access to care for patients,

Workers gathered outside Kaiser hospitals in San Diego and Los Angeles counties Monday morning, launching what is to be an “open-ended” strike of Kaiser mental health care workers throughout Southern California.

More than 2,400 Kaiser Permanente psychologists, therapists, social workers and other mental health workers in Southern California have begun an open-ended strike over increased workloads and staffing shortages.