Union Calls on Medical Center to Open its Books
Union officials held a press conference Friday asking Westchester Medical Center officials to provide more financial transparency during negotiation with hospital workers.
Union representatives are accusing Westchester Medical Center officials of refusing to disclose financial records and negotiate in good faith during a press conference Friday.
About a dozen members from the Civil Service Employees Association gathered across the street from the medical center, located in Valhalla, and accused the hospital’s administration and governing board of concealing hospital finances. The CSEA represents a little more than 1,600 hospital employees, including surgical assistants, clerical staff and maintenance workers.
This comes at a time when the hospital is reaching out to its employees and asking for more concessions.
Michael D. Israel, the hospital’s president and chief operating officer, sent out an e-mail to employees stating the facility has experienced a $90 million reduction in reimbursements for the care it provides. The e-mail also said that non-unit hospital employees are now required to pay higher contributions to their health benefits and asks union workers to consider making a similar compromise.
John Staino, the president of CSEA Westchester County Local 860, said the hospital has ignored numerous requests from the union to see administrator salaries and other financial data. Staino said it is unfair for medical center officials to ask for give backs from its employees without giving a clearer picture of the hospital’s financial health.
The union has another year left on its contract, according to Staino.
“They’re crying poverty, cutting services and outsourcing, but we haven’t been able to get a full look at their finances,” Staino said, while referencing the $1.24 million Israel made in 2009. “Here they are, making bonuses and they are still a public benefit corporation.”
Staino said some of the hospital’s recent layoffs and cuts have resulted in hospital services declining.
“The bottom line with the cuts that they threaten, is that they are starting to impact the quality of care that employees are able to give,” Staino said. “They cut the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program this summer. That’s a little under 50 CSEA members that lost their jobs. It was a mobile crisis unit that went out with police officers. That program actually helped prevent a lot of emergency personnel from being injured.”
David Bilig, a spokesman for the hospital, released the following statement in response to the union’s claims:
“The financial crisis affecting our nation has triggered significant cutbacks at hospitals and other organizations. Across the state, employers and their unions are wrestling with difficult cost constraints. At WMC, we pay competitive salaries to all of our staff from front line staff to management and believe that each and every employee provides a valuable service. We invite the CSEA to work collaboratively with us, as their colleagues have with Gov. Cuomo, on developing viable solutions to the economic pressures that are beyond our control but to which we must respond.”
michaelkane
9:42 am on Saturday, October 22, 2011
They’re crying poverty, cutting services and outsourcing, but we haven’t been able to get a full look at their finances,” Israel made in 2009. $1.24 million!! “Here they are, making bonuses and they are still a public benefit corporation!!.”
sounds like what the 99% is talking about!!!
katy chung
4:40 pm on Sunday, October 23, 2011
The total cost of the CEO, board and other executives at WMC is $12 million. That is money that comes from medicare and medicaid and is supposed to go to patient care, not bonuses. What are they willing to give back in this financial crisis? They make bonuses by cutting our jobs.
woah taxpayer
8:22 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
The real workers at Westchester Medical Center are the ones who allow it to provide "world Class Medicine" They are unionized middle class taxpayers.
Michael Israel is a seclusive millionaire who refuses to meet with the workers and who has hired many layers of $275,000 VP underlings to keep him isolated: for what exactly?
People in the middle East are dying for rights and here in the USA our conservative leaders are working to remove rights and benefits for working families.
Union members did not gamble billions on fraudulent schemes on Wall Street that gambled on crooked mortgages.
Union members did not speculate on the price of crude oil to drive up the price of oil in 2008 to record levels that added to the economic mess the world is now dealing with.
Union members were not handed a financial bail out as the big banks and Wall Street firms were given by President Bush and Congress with no questions asked.
In fact, the taxes paid every week by union members were used to bail out those big banks and the Wall Street firms when they collapsed due to their arrogance in late 2008.
Now the middle class workers are still sucking wind and Wall St and banks are raking in record profits !!
It is shameful of those politicians in power who are trying to divide and conquer the American citizens.
Union members are our relatives, friends, neighbors, and community group volunteers.