My name is Chaney Lewis. I have two young children and my partner Lucretia and I both work at UPMC.
Lucretia and I want to provide a good life for our kids. We want to show them that when you work hard and you do a good job, it pays off.
But no matter how many hours we put in, a job at UPMC just isn’t enough to show them that hard work pays. The bills keep piling up, and we have been forced to cut corners on our health just to stay afloat.
I have worked at Presbyterian hospital for the past nine years, and I recently completed a two-week specialized training to transport heart patients who are on heart monitors. It’s intense making sure patients and equipment are getting from place to place quickly and safely.
Even with my experience and extra training I still only make $11.97 an hour. For four out of the nine years I have been at UPMC, I worked through a wage freeze at $9.76 per hour, a starting wage only $1 more than what my mother made there 20 years ago when she was a UPMC housekeeper.
Our boys are the center of our world, but even covering childcare for them is a constant stress. Right now, Lucretia’s 87-year-old great grandmother is helping take care of them while I’m at work. Then I piece together other side jobs that give us some flexibility.
When my car broke down unexpectedly, we had to ask Lucretia’s great grandmother to take the bus to watch the kids. I felt awful.
Even though I’m at the hospital every day, I avoid going to the doctor. Health insurance is one thing that we’ve decided to risk going without.
This makes things tough at home. It means a lot of sacrifice.
We shouldn’t have to work multiple jobs to afford to feed our families, but that is the reality thousands of my coworkers live because of the poverty wages UPMC pays us.
I feel like the American dream is slipping away from where you only need one job, go on vacation, buy a car, spend time with family and not have to work overtime.
I believe that an employer that can pay its top executives millions and millions has the ability to start making our needs a priority. We need good jobs at UPMC.
That’s why we’re fighting the fight: UPMC can do better by Pittsburgh by working with us to create good jobs. Good jobs that we can raise our families on, jobs that allow us to move up into the middle class. Jobs that allow us to live the American dream.
Chaney is right, UPMC can afford to pay its executives top dollar, and afford “fabulous letters on the highest building, UPMC can also afford to purchase unnescary things such as vinyl decals to cover a shuttle bus which alone are $6000 a piece just for some decals. I have to work overtime in order to make sure all my bills are paid. I thought I was going to have a career with the largest employer in Pennsylvania, but suddenly that is fading away because of the low rates employees make.
My fiance works for UPMC and they are giving him a hard time getting health care coverage for me we filled out and submitted all the forms and they are still telling him he has to submit more paperwork, I am considered his domestic partner, he’s been there for 11 years and he’s being treated like someone that is newly hired, his pay doesn’t match his degree at all, and for him to go to the emergency room, when he hurt himself on the job, he has a copay of $75, if you, UPMC, valued your employees that would be free of charge! I don’t go to any of there hospitals, I am so grateful that I am a Veteran, I don’t want their coverage, I just want them to honor and value their employees, raise their pay, and lower their health care premiums and honor there domestic situations!!!
I have watched this story on tv, and my first question is why r they still employed? UPMC can find a way to fire any one. I know this will happen to these people also. I have seen what they have done over an11 year period, and it is just unbelievable! SEIU email me and I will help! Too many stories. I want to tell some one everything. But unfortunately the employees are to scared to open their mouths in fear of loosing their jobs. !