Razak Khan, Security officer at Kaiser Permanente’s Hayward Medical Center
Razak Khan is a 58 year-old security officer at Kaiser Permanente’s Hayward Medical Center facility. Razak has worked for Kaiser’s security contractors for more than 4 years, and did another security job for 2 years before that. Despite his lengthy experience in the security field, Kaiser’s contractor Securitas pays Razak just $10.40 per hour. With his family’s rent and expenses costing well over $1000 per month, Razak’s family has not been able to save any money for the future. When asked about retirement, Razak laughs, saying, “retirement is just a dream.”
Beyond paying low wages, Securitas also recently made deep cuts to Razak’s healthcare benefits. This is a major big problem for Razak, who has gout, a form of arthritis that's characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, redness and tenderness in joints. Before the healthcare benefit cuts were made, Razak had thigh surgery related to this condition, and the cost was covered. But now, the cuts have resulted in Razak resulting in his skipping necessary medical care, because it is too expensive. “I can’t even afford to go to the doctor now,” Razak says, “and I take over-the-counter pills to manage my pain because the prescription medicine is too expensive. I’m very afraid that my condition will get worse and I will not be able to manage this condition over the long-term. If that happens, I’m scared of how high the costs for emergency things like x-rays, MRIs, and blood work, will be.”
Razak’s crumbling health care benefits have also created a struggle to care for his ailing wife. Stricken with arthritis, severe back pain, and a chronic thyroid condition, Mrs. Khan has seen her doctor’s visit co-payments double under Securitas’ plan. Dependent on treatment and medication, including regular blood work for her thyroid difficulties and prescriptions for her pain, Mrs. Khan has begun skipping doctor’s visits, regular maintenance of her condition, and preventive measures, due to the prohibitive cost. Right now, Mrs. Khan works part-time as a housekeeper, but due to her back pain, it is unclear how long she’ll be able to work. Razak is very worried about what they’ll do if she can’t contribute to the bills.
Despite the challenges he is facing, Razak is determined to stand up with his union, SEIU United Service Workers West, to convince Securitas to reinstate his healthcare benefits and improve wages and other benefits for he and his coworkers. “It’s not fair that we are the ones protecting the staff and patients at Kaiser Permanente, but we don’t have the benefit of care from Kaiser,” he says. “We need affordable health care and raises. If we won a good contract, then I could start saving for retirement.”