Forum employees are working to preserve system

Forum employees are working to preserve system

EDITOR:

There’s been a whirlwind of activity relating to Forum Health. From layoff notices, to threats of closure, to reports of unexpected profits, there has been a considerable amount of uncertainty at our hospitals. Forum Health at Home was sold to a Pennsylvania company. Most recently, articles have outlined the argument by some to sell TMH and/or Hillside. Some may rightly wonder how Forum employees, both union and non-union, are responding during this time.

For members of Service Employees International Union District 1199, and other hospital employees who care deeply about the stability of Forum Health, this is a time to showcase our commitment to our hospitals. It is also a time to continue to advocate much-needed reforms that will improve the long-term viability of our hospitals and ensure the community’s continued access to quality healthcare.

SEIU members, like all workers, want what’s best for the community and for Forum. We’re deeply committed to collaborating to ensure continued stability for Forum in general, and our hospitals in Trumbull and Mahoning counties, in particular.

For context, it’s appropriate to outline the steps that SEIU members have taken to help Forum’s bottom line. In 2007, SEIU members, like our sisters and brothers in other unions and other hospital employees, made the difficult decision to offer millions in concessions. For our part, SEIU concessions, which totaled over $8 million, included an 18-month contract versus the standard three-year contract, an across-the-board wage freeze, a one-year suspension of contributions to employee pensions, increased flexibility surrounding work rules, a reduction in paid sick days, and a substantial reduction in vacation accrual. These concessions, which focused on labor costs, were uncomfortable, but necessary.

While labor costs are important, other areas deserve attention as well. The Ohio attorney general-commissioned Chartis Report outlined many of these areas. Specifically, the report urged the hospital system to focus on local, permanent leadership, the long-term direction of the hospitals and technical issues such as out-migration and vendor contracts.

Although it’s been nearly two months since the report was released, Forum Health management has yet to publicly outline a plan to implement the recommendations of the report. SEIU poses a friendly challenge to Forum to closely adhere to the recommendations of the report.

Our position is clear: We’re willing to partner with our hospitals, community leaders, and others to ensure continued operation of Forum Health. And we feel strongly that a report by a respected third-party should not be ignored.

ERIN KRAMER

Youngstown

X The writer is hospital division coordinator for SEIU District 1199.

Don’t smile at the cameras

EDITOR:

The Warren politicians who want to install traffic cameras want to increase revenues for the city and not for the safety reasons that they claim. This is only the beginning for increasing revenues. The traffic camera company will also be making the bigger percentage of the exorbitant fees being charged for the traffic violations for operating the system.

Their proposal is to put the cameras in the school zones only. In the future the company will not be making enough money to continue their operation, so council will pass new legislation for cameras to be put in all areas of the city. (For our safety?)

When the city of Girard put their cameras into use I boycotted the city and did my purchasing of products and services elsewhere. I will do the same to the city of Warren. If the politicians pass this legislation, I hope the citizens who are reading this letter will do the same, and tell their friends and others to do likewise.

JIM BERTOLINI

Warren