SEIU-UHW, Hospital Association strike truce to keep dueling measures off ballot
Two competing measures designed to cap hospital executives’ pay and limit healthcare union political activities won’t appear on voters’ ballots in November after the rival factions reached a deal to remove them.
One measure, backed by the SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, aimed to limit hospital executives’ pay to $450,000, with annual increases pegged to inflation. The other was sponsored the California Hospital Association and would have limited healthcare unions’ ability to participate in the kind of ballot fights that SEIU-UHW President Dave Regan relishes.
The deal doesn’t affect SEIU-UHW’s highest profile measure: a proposed 5% tax on billionaire’s wealth. It also doesn’t touch another SEIU-UHW initiative requiring community clinics to spend at least 90% of their revenue on program services rather than overhead.
Thursday is the final day for adversaries in California’s ballot fights to strike a deal and keep initiatives off of November ballots, leading to a frenzy of 11th hour backroom negotiations before the Secretary of State’s office closes at 5 p.m.
The deal between SEIU-UHW and the hospital association was announced by the California Federation of Labor Unions, which includes the union.
“We look forward to working to ensure the continuation of a robust Medi-Cal program and the continued operation of hospitals in all areas of the state, providing both quality healthcare and good union jobs to Californians,” said Labor Federation President Lorena Gonzalez in a statement.
CHA President Carmela Coyle said the deal “marks an important step in strengthening the healthcare system to ensure high-quality healthcare services are accessible throughout California.”
