Tasty hears that Dave Regan is bringing his concessionary
caravan to more than a half dozen Sutter Health hospitals that employ thousands
of SEIU-UHW’s members. Sutter
is the largest hospital chain in Northern California and has pocketed $1.6
billion in profits during the past two years.
Readers may recall that in August, Regan cut a deal with Sutter’s
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
that allowed the hospital to subcontract
more than 100 of SEIU-UHW members' jobs -- or nearly 10% of the entire bargaining unit.
So what’s the latest?
Several weeks ago, Regan negotiated a new contract for
SEIU-UHW’s members at Sutter Lakeside
Hospital. SEIU's new deal slashes workers’ health benefits and imposes a
wage freeze during the first year of the contract -- just like the wage freeze
that Regan negotiated for 14,000 workers at Dignity Health/Catholic Healthcare
West.
Regan also inked new contracts for SEIU-UHW’s members at
Sutter’s St. Luke’s Hospital in San
Francisco and Sutter Medical Center of
Santa Rosa. Under these deals, workers will be forced to pay hundreds of dollars
each month for a health insurance plan that’s always been free. Here’s an excerpt from
the tentative agreement, signed by SEIU-UHW’s Julie
Kwiek, that puts workers on the hook to pay at least 27% of the monthly
health premiums by the end of the contract. (Click on image below to enlarge it.)
Oh, and that’s not all. SEIU-UHW officials agreed to cut workers’
reporting pay in half and to implement a corporate wellness program.
Then, on Wednesday of this week, workers at Sutter Solano Medical Center reported that SEIU-UHW officials
negotiated another sell-out contract deal.
Yesterday, SEIU bargained with Sutter Roseville Medical Center and, according to workers, was
trying to force huge concessions down the throats of workers. Members of
SEIU-UHW’s own bargaining committee began rebelling against their union as reports
circulated that Regan had cut a secret back-room deal with the company’s execs
to slash their benefits.
More to come!
