It’s been a good few weeks for the workers at UPMC and the people of Pittsburgh.
Since early in 2012, UPMC workers have been courageously standing up for better jobs despite intimidation, threats, and coercion from UPMC executives and managers.
Right before the holidays, their courage paid off. The regional office of the National Labor Relations Board brought a complaint alleging that UPMC executives and management carried out more than 80 violations of workers’ rights.
The 30-page complaint names 59 managers and executives in the allegations and now UPMC is headed to a hearing over the charges on February 12th. Robert W. Chester, regional director of the Labor Board, said it was the biggest case brought against a single employer in the four years that he has headed the Pittsburgh office.
UPMC workers want the best for their patients, families, the community, and what is best for the city, and that means uniting all of our voices to make the health system — the area’s largest employer and private landowner — the best it can be. That’s why UPMC workers have been joined by teachers, bus riders, elected officials, and taxpayers to make sure that every UPMC worker earns a living wage and has a voice at work.
That’s not too much to expect from a $10 billion charity that received $204 million in tax breaks last year. UPMC executives need to obey the law and create family-sustaining jobs that will rebuild our middle class.
Join the movement to Make It Our UPMC. Talk to us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MakeItOurUPMC.