Forty Staff Call In Sick—Protest or Pandemic?

Something unusual happened at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital today, forty staff members, mostly from the dialysis unit, called in sick. Now, was this just a bad flu going around, or are we looking at a coordinated sick-out? That’s the big question tonight. Tensions are clearly high after hospital management released details of its latest pension proposal, leaving union members fuming. We spoke with K.H.M.H. Workers Union President Andrew Baird, who says when employees feel unheard and undervalued, it doesn’t just affect morale, it affects their health too.

 

On the Phone: Andrew Baird, President, KHMH Workers Union

“The first thing is we are entitled to be sick. I called in sick this morning and I was made to understand that there were some other staff who also were sick. I don’t know what their condition is, but we are entitled to be sick, and we visited our physician and our physician believes we deserve bed rest or time off from work to recover. That is the way it is. I am sorry I find out that other people are also out sick. I don’t know if it affects the institution’s daily services but that is what it is.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Would that letter from the hospital yesterday, would that have contributed to the sort of illness, be it physically or mentally that staff members are experiencing?”

 

On the Phone: Andrew Baird

“In most cases, people chose not to disclose their sickness. It is a confidentiality thing. But certainly when you have disgruntled people it does affect them mentally and physically when you have certain conditions that is not in the best interest of the staff.”

 

Paul Lopez

“When a group of people is out sick at one institution, business, operation, it kind of affects that business’s ability or that institution’s ability to operate. Are you concerned with that?”

 

On the Phone: Andrew Baird

“That is a concern for management at this time. Maybe some bacteria is going around at the hospital at this time. Management needs to figure that out.”

Chief Executive Officer Chandra Cansino told News Five that services went uninterrupted, despite the sickout. She also noted that the hospital’s management remains open to dialogue at the negotiation table.  The K.H.M.H. Workers Union also issued a release late this evening, in which it doubled down on voicing its disappointment with the latest proposal. The release says the union outrightly rejected it but remains committed to good-faith dialogue.