April 29th, 2011
Public hospital president’s retirement pay spotlights issue of ‘supplemental’ pensions
The president and CEO of a Salinas, Calif.-area public hospital district will receive nearly $4 million in retirement pay on top of his $150,000 annual pension. Such ‘supplemental’ pensions are one focus of criticism over the way public officials are compensated in retirement. By Sam Allen, Los Angeles Times April 28, 2011 When he turned […]
April 28th, 2011
Taxpayers Fund SVMH CEO Sam Downing’s $4 Million Pension Payouts
Sam Downing, SVMH’s millionaire CEO Even while advocating position cuts at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and diverting $11 million of the hospital’s funds from patient care to outrageous fees for out-of-town management consultants who are paving the way for privatization, CEO Sam Downing is looking forward to a taxpayer-funded pension payout of $900,000, the Los Angeles […]
April 27th, 2011
In These Times: As Union Election Begins at Calif. Hospitals, Workers Claim SEIU ‘in Bed With Management
From In These Times: As Union Election Begins at Calif. Hospitals, Workers Claim SEIU ‘in Bed With Management’ By Carl Finamore SAN FRANCISCO—A bitterly-contested election is occurring among employees at three of the oldest hospitals in San Francisco that have continuously provided healthcare since around the mid-1800s. A lot has changed over the last 150 years […]
April 27th, 2011
Monterey County Herald opinion: Fears of a Private SVMH
Fears of a private SVMH By JOHN BORSOS and MARILYNBENSON Guest commentary Mention “Salinas” to most Californians, and a cascade of images and literary references come to mind: farming, the rodeo, John Steinbeck, the international air show. The last thing one thinks of is multimillion-dollar Wall Street corporate takeovers. Yet that may be what is occurring right now at Salinas Valley Memorial […]
April 26th, 2011
NLRB Orders Hearing on SEIU collusion with Employer in January Election at Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
Labor Board hearing could result in overturning of election results OAKLAND – Yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ordered a hearing to investigate whether the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Sutter Health violated the law by teaming up to prevent workers at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (ABSMC) in Berkeley and Oakland from […]