May 18th, 2011
LA Times: Public hospital official got nearly $1 million in severance on top of $3.9-million retirement payout
Sam Allen – LA Times
A Salinas public hospital district, already under fire for granting its outgoing chief executive $3.9 million in retirement payments, also doled out nearly $1 million to the executive as part of an unusual severance agreement, according to records obtained by The Times.
The payment fattened what was already considered one of the more generous public pensions ever given in California. Its disclosure prompted the state Assembly earlier this month to order an audit of the hospital district’s finances.
The Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare District board gave its CEO, Samuel Downing, a cash payment of $947,594 in 2008, according to a hospital report on his compensation. The money came from a special severance fund set aside for when Downing ended his employment with the public agency.
But the board decided to award him the money while he remained working as CEO, hospital officials said.
May 18th, 2011
The Final Countdown
4:45AM: In just over an hour, hundreds of Kaiser workers from all over Southern California will be on the picket line at Kaiser Los Angeles Medical Center, fighting for a fair contract that stops Kaiser from cutting workers’ benefits at a time of record profits and that gives caregivers a voice in patient care and […]
May 18th, 2011
Kaiser Double-Talk: Who’s thriving?
Kimberly Tubbs is a Registered Nurse at Kaiser Permanente’s flagship Los Angeles Medical Center. She asks an important question: if Kaiser is thriving to the tune of $10 million per day on average in profits, why are nurses and patients constantly faced with short-staffing? It is AMAZING to me that Kaiser has been unwilling to […]
May 18th, 2011
Are we ready to fight?
You got that right! NUHW Brothers and Sisters: Starting at 6am tomorrow, 2,500 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers throughout Southern California will go on strike for 24 hours. Our strike will be the single largest work action by NUHW members since the founding of our union. We’re telling the world the truth about Kaiser Permanente. While […]
May 18th, 2011
NUHW Social Worker’s Blog Featured By Filmmaker Michael Moore
Kaiser Norwalk LCSW David Mallon’s blog post on tomorrow’s strike is featured on MichaelMoore.com! Click here to read it, and stay updated throughout the day tomorrow at KaiserUnited.org.