Should hospital workers get ‘hazard pay’ for working during coronavirus pandemic?
Union employees at Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville want to get time and a half “hazard pay” for working during the coronavirus pandemic.
The SEIU Healthcare union members also raised concerns about the amount of personal protective equipment they have, the amount of coronavirus testing available for employees and the amount of sick pay they receive if they have to be quarantined because of COVID-19.
A hospital spokesman declined to comment on the specific issues raised by the SEIU Healthcare union but said hospital leaders appreciate the work performed by the union members.
“Touchette Regional Hospital supports all our employees and appreciates their efforts during this pandemic,” spokesman Steve Tomaszewski said in a statement. “Touchette will continue to strive to meet the needs of patients, staff and the community we serve.”
About 15 to 20 union members protested outside Touchette on Thursday to bring attention to their demands.
The union has 165 members at the hospital and two of them tested positive for COVID-19. Their conditions were not available, according to the union.
Tamara Cunningham, a customer service representative who has worked at Touchette for 18 years, said employees need more personal protective equipment, also known as PPE, to ensure they are safe.
“I’m here today to speak on behalf of my co-workers,” Cunningham said during a news conference before the protest. “We are going to work every day scared. We’re scared for our own health but we’re also scared for the health of our families.”
Since the outbreak, Cunningham has had to stop visiting her mother who has pre-existing health issues and other family members who have recently given birth.
“I’m scared to visit because I work in a health care facility.”
“We also need hazard pay for the risks we are taking,” she said. “We need our hospital administrators to show appreciation by ensuring we have what we need and paying us for the risk we are taking.”
Cunningham urged the public to follow Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order issued in an effort to curb the spread of the virus linked to more than 3,100 deaths in Illinois.
Touchette, which is at 5900 Bond Ave., is owned by the SIHF Healthcare, which previously was known as the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation.
The union members at Touchette include certified nursing assistants, patient care technicians, surgical techs, ER techs, medical equipment preparers, unit secretaries, cooks, maintenance crews, housekeepers and supply clerks.
The current average pay was not available from a union spokeswoman but the collective bargaining agreement has the starting pay for some positions listed at $10.25 per hour.
Illinois’ minimum wage is $9.25 per hour and is scheduled to go up to $10 an hour on July 1 and to $15 per hour by 2025.
Federal aid for hospitals
Lenny Jones, SEIU Healthcare Missouri vice president and state director, said hospitals have done a better job at getting PPE for workers and acknowledged there could be limitations on testing availability. But he argues the hospitals should give workers hazard pay and ensure they are paid their full wage while out sick for coronavirus.
“The issue is everybody who steps foot in the hospital today is taking a risk,” Jones said. “They should have some amount of hazard pay just for showing up for work.”
Jones called for hospitals to use the billions in federal aid from the federal government to boost the pay of health care workers.
The Illinois Hospital Association has said the federal stimulus legislation has earmarked $175 billion for hospitals nationwide but also noted that hospitals have been losing money and that this aid would not cover the losses.
Illinois hospitals have had to furlough employees and are losing $1.4 billion in revenue each month during the pandemic because of COVID-19 costs, including canceled elective surgeries and procedures as well as fewer people going to the emergency room because of virus fears, according to the Illinois Hospital Association.
Hospitals statewide usually collect $3.2 billion in revenue per month.
St. Louis University Hospital
The SEIU Healthcare union also raised pay and workplace safety issues for its 640 members at St. Louis University Hospital.
Jennifer Garnica, administrative director of nursing operations for the hospital, said all employees have received the necessary personal protective equipment.
Hospital leaders “very seriously” take their responsibility to provide a safe environment, Garnica said.
Hazard pay is not part of the contract with union members but she said St. Louis-based SSM Health, which owns the hospital, has given workers an additional 80 hours of paid sick leave during the pandemic.
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 2:16 PM.
