Unions protest hospital closings

“Bring it up, vote it down,” demanded more than 400 health-care workers as they rallied on the steps of the State Capitol here Dec. 13, the last day of the legislative session.

Patient health and thousands of jobs are at stake. WW photo: Beverly Hiestand

They were responding to a report by the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, also known as the Berger report. It calls for closing nine hospitals, restructuring 48 others, downsizing 3,000 nursing-home beds and laying off 7,000 health-care workers.

Gov. George Pataki had structured legislation on the closings to automatically go into effect, without any revisions, on Jan. 1, 2007, unless the state Legislature took it up. Despite the demonstration outside, the lawmakers failed to bring it to a vote. Demonstrators accused them of being cowardly for not taking individual responsibility for an act that will have devastating effects on their communities.

John Klein, president of Communication Workers Local 1168 Nurses United, spoke to the emerging fight back seen at the rally as he said wryly, “I want to thank the Berger commission for bringing us together in unity across the state.” The crowd was made up of representatives from the New York State Nurses Association from Cabrini and St. Vincent’s Midtown hospitals in New York City, the Public Employees Federation, Civil Service Employees, Communication Workers, United University Professions and New York State United Teachers.

The loss of thousands of health-care jobs will have a devastating effect on already economically depressed communities, especially in the upstate area.

The speakers and placards showed, however, that the greatest concern of these health-care workers was the negative impact the cutbacks will have on the quality of care.

Signs of workers at St. Vincent’s said, “Help save us so that we can save you.” Cabrini workers carried placards saying, “Healing one neighbor at a time—our tradition.”

Nurses and other health-care workers from these two hospitals spoke of the compassionate, respectful and excellent care provided to the poor by clinics and programs that cannot just be moved to other places. Multilingual health-care workers also provide care to immigrants in their own communities, without questioning their right to it. The health-care workers at both facilities noted that they had been the first to provide care to people with AIDS. The Berger plan would close these programs, although they are still needed.

Anthony Feliciano from the Save Our Safety Net Committee noted there was no representation on the state commission from the affected communities and that the report is racist and discriminatory because it doesn’t address the needs of the most vulnerable communities.

Representatives of public-employee unions spoke out against the recommended privatization of hospitals affiliated with the State University of New York. The commission is calling for SUNY Upstate Medical Center to be merged immediately with Crouse hospital in Syracuse and says privatization should be considered for SUNY’s Brooklyn and Stony Brook hospitals. The commission has demanded a merger between the Kaleida health-care system in Buffalo and the public Erie County Medical Center under a new, private entity.

Bill Scheuerman, president of United University Professions, stated that “the bottom line would become how much money you make rather than how much health care you provide.”

Alan Lubin, vice president of New York State United Teachers, said privatization would jeopardize the hospitals’ teaching mission.

The unions have warned that public hospitals that provide specialized services such as burn units, trauma centers and AIDS clinics will not survive in a for-profit atmosphere.

Union representatives circulated through legislative offices and chambers after the rally. They reported that legislators were already feeling the anger coming from their constituents and that some promised to hold hearings after the beginning of the year.

While the plan had been not to revise any of the commission’s report, even Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, whose political base is in the Republican-dominated upstate area, said that next year the state Legislature and incoming Gov. Elliot Spitzer can address issues in the plan “that need to be fixed.” In particular, Bruno criticized the recommended closing of Bellevue Woman’s Hospital in the Schenectady County town of Niskayuna.

The Buffalo News on Dec. 17 noted that some state Assembly members talked about “improving” the recommendations next year. Pataki, moving away from his position that nothing could be changed or negotiated, told reporters last week that the next governor and lawmakers could alter the proposal.

Union representatives have already unanimously stated that this is just the beginning of the fight back.

They know it will take a strong, unified struggle with participation statewide from not only the unions but also the affected communities. They say they are ready to carry out just such an effort.