SAN FRANCISCO, June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, June 18th, 1500 health care workers from around the nation will march in protest of Sutter Health’s unethical business practices of putting profits before patients and caregivers.
What: March on Sutter Health When: Friday, June 18, March begins at 2:15 p.m. Where: March departs from San Francisco Marriott, 55 Fourth Street March ends in a 3:15 p.m. rally at Sutter’s San Francisco headquarters, 345 California Street
Sutter Health, Northern California’s largest hospital corporation, made $465 million in profits in 2003 alone, a profit margin that is four times higher than the average for hospital corporations across the nation. Although Sutter has “non-profit” tax status, it operates a host of for-profit subsidiaries. Sutter has been decried by the advocacy group Health Access and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for overcharging patients without health insurance and then sending their accounts to aggressive debt collection agencies. In addition, the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) recently dropped a dozen Sutter hospitals from their plan because Sutter was charging prices that were 80% higher than average.
In stark contrast to the comparatively amicable relationship that other area hospital employees enjoy with their employers, Sutter is also currently waging an anti-union campaign that includes physical intimidation by security guards.
The march will occur during the annual leadership conference of SEIU 250, the largest and fastest health care union in the Western United States.
The Health Care Workers Union conference centers upon how to win health care reform in California and in the United States. SEIU 250’s goal is to achieve high quality health care for all. Workers will also strategize on how to defeat Bush in 2004 and change Sutter Health’s deplorable business practices.
“Our leadership conference will focus upon how to achieve health care reform in California, and eventually, across the nation,” said SEIU 250 President Sal Rosselli. “The first obstacle in reforming healthcare is to hold unscrupulous employers such as Sutter Health accountable to their patients, caregivers and communities. Our march will call upon Sutter to put their patients and caregivers before profits.”
With over 95,000 members, SEIU 250 is the largest and fastest growing health care union in the Western U.S. We represent every type of healthcare worker, including nursing, professional, technical, paramedic and service classifications. Our mission is to achieve high quality healthcare for all.
Media Contact
Kathleen Miller, 510-773-7102
SEIU 250
CONTACT: Kathleen Miller of SEIU 250, +1-510-773-7102
Web site: http://www.seiu250.org/
