California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of March 19, 2010
Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center, Berkeley and Oakland
Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West recently ratified a new contract with management at Sutter Health's Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center, the Sacramento Business Journal reports. The two-year, nine-month contract will cover 1,170 health care workers at Alta Bates/Summit facilities in Berkeley and Oakland.
The new contract includes a salary increase of at least 9%, compounded over the life of the contract, and a signing bonus of up to $750 (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 3/15).
Doctors Medical Center San Pablo
Administrative Law Judge Donn Ginoza recently sided with the National Union of Healthcare Workers in a labor dispute involving SEIU-UHW, which sought to overturn the results of a vote cast last year by a workers' bargaining group at Doctors Medical Center, the Contra Costa Times reports.
The judge found that West Contra Costa Healthcare District acted lawfully and did not encourage support for NUHW. Ginoza also ruled that NUHW did not interfere with employees' rights (Lochner, Contra Costa Times, 3/12).
Loma Linda University Medical Center, Murrieta
This week, construction is expected to begin on a new five-story medical office building that will be part of the Loma Linda University Medical Center in Murrieta, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
The $20 million complex of 60 physician offices is expected to open with the medical center in early 2011 (Hill, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 3/16).
Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital
California's Public Employment Relations Board has validated a petition by Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital workers, who are seeking to leave the Service Employees International Union and join the National Union of Healthcare Workers, the Salinas Californian reports.
The 850 health care workers will have from April 22 through May 13 to vote by mail on which union they want to represent them. The votes will be counted May 17 (Hornick, Salinas Californian, 3/16).
Southwest Community Health Center, Santa Rosa
Southwest Community Health Center has purchased a 42,500-square-foot office building from Equity Office Partners in Santa Rosa for $6.4 million, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
The not-for-profit clinic will occupy the entire two-story complex located next to offices for Redwood Medical Group and a Kaiser Permanente medical office building (San Francisco Business Times, 3/12).
San Leandro Hospital
The Eden Township Healthcare District recently filed a countersuit in Superior Court in an effort to stave off Sutter Health's attempt to close San Leandro Hospital's emergency department, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Sutter sued the health care district for breach of contract after the district voted to not approve the sale of San Leandro Hospital to Alameda County Medical Center.
In the countersuit, Eden alleges that a 2008 memorandum of understanding that granted Sutter the right to sell the hospital is invalid because three members of health district's board had conflicts of interest and were receiving incomes derived from Eden Medical Center.
Although an arbitration last week sided with Sutter, the countersuit could invalidate the arbitration (Sweeney, Contra Costa Times, 3/11).
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