In 2012 the unions created a ballot measure—not for the purpose of putting it on the ballot, but to be used as leverage in negotiations with hospitals. “It’s something of a rerun of a deal made two years ago, with similar talk about future collaboration. The deal didn’t pan out last time. CHA got two initiatives dropped in 2012, but SEIU’s expectations of organizing up to 100,000 new members never materialized. The union got zero new members — and headed back to the campaign trial last fall to put pressure on CHA once again.”
The unions ran ads that without this ballot measure drugged up doctors would operate on you. Now that they dropped the measure, guess the doctors have sobered up. Fraud, abuse of the system, theft of workers money for corrupt political games- yet government continues to force workers into joining or lose their jobs. When will the public revolt against these connivers?
California hospitals reach deal with union; initiatives limiting CEO pay dropped
Kathy Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 5/6/14
The California Hospital Association announced a “breakthrough agreement” with Service Employees International Union on Tuesday that gets rid of two union-proposed initiatives that hospitals hate and launches a $100 million joint campaign to fix Medi-Cal.
It’s something of a rerun of a deal made two years ago, with similar talk about future collaboration. The deal didn’t pan out last time. CHA got two initiatives dropped in 2012, but SEIU’s expectations of organizing up to 100,000 new members never materialized. The union got zero new members — and headed back to the campaign trial last fall to put pressure on CHA once again.
The new agreement includes a jointly funded $100 million campaign to ensure stable financing for Medi-Cal, the governmental health care program for the poor. Two proposed ballot initiatives — one to regulate hospital prices, the other health care CEO pay — will be dropped. The two partners have agreed to work together to address issues of cost, efficiency and quality of care.
“CHA has been involved for several years in national efforts to address the complexities of hospital pricing and to reform the payment structure of the Medicaid program,” CHA president and CEO Duane Dauner said. “We are pleased that SEIU-UHW will join us in finding workable solutions.”
The deal, reached Monday night, took effect immediately and extends through Dec. 31, 2017.
What’s different this time is that individual hospitals have signed on to the deal. Neither party will say which ones.
There’s some teeth to the deal for member hospitals. The agreement includes a code of conduct with an enforcement mechanism, according to Dave Regan, president and CEO of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.
What’s in it for the union is unclear. CHA is a trade group with little power to deliver union members at California hospitals, but member signatories who agree to a code of conduct with the union could deliver labor peace.
Also unclear is the future of union-backed legislation to regulate the amount of charity care provided by nonprofit hospitals.
If there is success in increasing Medi-Cal funding for hospitals and other providers, presumably hospitals will be more willing to fund wage and benefit increases for workers.
