Hartford HealthCare reaches impasse with union, readies layoffs

Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare has reached a stalemate with the union and will implement changes at its Willimantic, Conn.-based Windham Hospital that include nearly 120 layoffs, according to The Bulletin.

Hartford HealthCare announced the transformation plan for Windham Hospital in June.

Hospital staff and community members have expressed their disapproval with the plan, and Hartford HealthCare has been meeting since August with representatives of the American Federation of Teachers Union, Locals 5099 and 5041, which represents many of the employees at Windham Hospital.

"The negotiations have reached a stalemate and further discussions would be futile, so Windham Hospital has declared an impasse in discussions," Hartford HealthCare said in a written statement, according to The Bulletin. "We have stressed throughout these discussions that the financial situation at Windham Hospital is dire, and the need for real-time action is essential."

Hartford HealthCare's decision to go ahead with the plan came after Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) announced he will make more than $63 million in new cuts to hospital Medicaid payments. The Medicaid cuts are part of more than $102 million the governor plans to trim from the state's budget.

Shawn Mawhiney, director of communications for Hartford HealthCare's east region, said in the report that Gov. Malloy's cuts mean the hospital's entire "cornerstone of care" model is being reevaluated, including the number of positions eliminated. The model includes 24-hour emergency care, inpatient care, cardiology services, oncology care, inpatient and outpatient surgical services, women's health services, diagnostic imaging and community programs such as school-based health centers.

The union is promising legal action over Hartford HealthCare's announcement, saying it intends to file unfair labor practice charges and seek a court injunction with the National Labor Relations Board.

 

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