in response to charges that workers can't make ends meet, upmc opens employee food pantry (Pittsburgh: unemployed, salary)

[Clint.]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

As I noted earlier, I think the primary reason is that they are not taxed. But it's also because they are perceived as predatory and self serving (closing hospitals where the community needs them, building them where competitors already serve the community). There's also a lot of negative perception about their overseas and out of market expansion as well. Pitt may or may not be raking in the dough, I have no idea; but they aren't closing hospitals while pulling in record "profits" and acting in a hyper competitive way like UPMC. Then there's people who have had bad financial experiences with UPMC and bad health experiences with UPMC; those people are frustrated because there are relatively few non-UPMC options available in the area.

Also UPMC is the 2nd largest employer in the state; a very large target compared to Pitt or anyone else for that matter.

Yeah, I agree. UPMC is so sanctimonious. Many companies try to put a 'nice guy' spin on their image by operating a charity or something, but rarely do they toot their own horn the way some of the huge Pittsburgh not-for-profits do. They're practically a monopoly with a captive customer base that charges rates higher than the industry mean, has lower than average scores regarding patient outcomes in many categories, buys up land all over the county, and is bloated with cash. They miss no opportunity to say how great they are. So, yeah, people's expectations are pretty high.

Maybe too high - we should just be glad we have medical facilities at all, some might say. Or, be glad this isn't the Democratic National Republic of the Congo or some really dysfunctional place.

[groar]

Just an FYI for people wondering why upmc "chooses" to tolerate employees trying to unionize: first of all, it is illegal to fire, intimidate, or penalize workers for union activity. The penalties are weak though, and many companies break the law and do it anyway. Upmc is actually being investigated for that right now.

And I don't shop at Walmart, by the way. Anyway "other places are worse" is not a good reason to not support efforts to make upmc better.

[heartchya]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

As I noted earlier, I think the primary reason is that they are not taxed. But it's also because they are perceived as predatory and self serving (closing hospitals where the community needs them, building them where competitors already serve the community). There's also a lot of negative perception about their overseas and out of market expansion as well. Pitt may or may not be raking in the dough, I have no idea; but they aren't closing hospitals while pulling in record "profits" and acting in a hyper competitive way like UPMC. Then there's people who have had bad financial experiences with UPMC and bad health experiences with UPMC; those people are frustrated because there are relatively few non-UPMC options available in the area.

Also UPMC is the 2nd largest employer in the state; a very large target compared to Pitt or anyone else for that matter.

Everything Ferris stated is why I do not like UPMC. I would like to have a choice in my health care provider and it is really becoming limited. I had my daughter at West Penn. Loved it. Loved my doctor. Would hate to see West Penn not make it. My daughter's pediatrician is now owned by UPMC--it was not when I first started taking her there. UPMC is not a non-profit organization and should not be classified as one.

We are never going to agree on this. You feel because you are paid a low wage that it is fair that others are as well. I am saying that most people should be paid a higher wage--especially after putting the time in.

Also I do not shop at Walmart. I grocery shop at Shop N Save and mostly order clothes online. Just to clear that up!

[alex_jones]

Originally Posted by heartchya

Also I do not shop at Walmart. I grocery shop at Shop N Save and mostly order clothes online. Just to clear that up!

...so, in other words, rather than supporting local retailers and local jobs, you buy on-line and support jobs ELSEWHERE than your community. Got it.

[heartchya]

Originally Posted by alex_jones

...so, in other words, rather than supporting local retailers and local jobs, you buy on-line and support jobs ELSEWHERE than your community. Got it.

Well first of all Alex Jones--Shop N Save is a local grocery store. And yes I will continue to order clothes online. Most of the places I order clothes from do not have an actual store. I would love to go in and shop if they did. ModCloth for example is one and ModCloth actually originated here in Pittsburgh. But thanks for your input and best of luck on your move!

[sparrowmint]

Oh yeah, sending money to Bentonville is really local.

[Sideblinded]

Watch the History Channel's mini- series/documentary "The Men who Built America". Carnegie, Pittsburgh and the steel industry along with Morgan & Rockefeller had a scary amount if power & influence in the US. It is eerily similar to today's work issues, politics and
Corruption. Difference is employees finally had enough.

Now we just fight with eachother and get ticked off if god forbid a profession or company/union has decent retirement or pension benefits instead of asking why being compensated fairly is a luxury only deserved for the top 10%? Why not us? Corporations have won. They have succesfully pitted the (dwindling) middle class against eachother, immigrants and poor so we forget that record profits are being made, salaries are declining and the wealthy are raking it in. We even dare to ask for fancy perks like health care! If I hear "At least you have a job" one more time I will have to run into the nearest yoga studio to chill out.

I choose not to shop at Wal-Mart or Sam's, I do shop at Costco and support as many locally owned small companies as possible. I love Littles Shoes on Forbes vs. Zappos.

UPMC is the largest fake non-profit ever with the added bonus of being close to a political monopoly.

[sparrowmint]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

Watch the History Channel's mini- series/documentary "The Men who Built America". Carnegie, Pittsburgh and the steel industry along with Morgan & Rockefeller had a scary amount if power & influence in the US. It is eerily similar to today's work issues, politics and
Corruption. Difference is employees finally had enough.

Now we just fight with eachother and get ticked off if god forbid a profession or company/union has decent retirement or pension benefits instead of asking why being compensated fairly is a luxury only deserved for the top 10%? Why not us? Corporations have won. They have succesfully pitted the (dwindling) middle class against eachother, immigrants and poor so we forget that record profits are being made, salaries are declining and the wealthy are raking it in. We even dare to ask for fancy perks like health care! If I hear "At least you have a job" one more time I will have to run into the nearest yoga studio to chill out.

I choose not to shop at Wal-Mart or Sam's, I do shop at Costco and support as many locally owned small companies as possible. I love Littles Shoes on Forbes vs. Zappos.

UPMC is the largest fake non-profit ever with the added bonus of being close to a political monopoly.

When I watched that show on the History Channel recently, I felt like the producers/writers must have had some pretty strong pro-labour agendas, because a lot of the narration was making some pretty strong and obvious parallels with the labour situation of modern day, as well as about the unethical nature of such corporations and the banking industries etc. Much of it rang true for today.

[Lost_In_Translation]

As much fun as it is to bash the big corporations, remember how every large organization starts, as a small group of people trying to build a better or atleast fill the void of mousetraps. The problem is in today's world trying to start a business is nigh impossible to meet financial and regulatory hurdles, so instead of being able to offer alternatives, the BIG corporations get bigger and become too big to fail. And don't forget that bastion of society, the fed, which supports the moneylenders with inflation, making anybody who holds currency into a sucker and providing few good outlets for investments. (Stock market is a just a rich mans baccarat game, anyone with less than a million is a fish). All of this promoted and encouraged by the government in the name of "protecting" the economy. The rich get richer because they can always go to the government and say "look how many I employ, they'll all be jobless if you don't bail me out". Well then you know how it goes. And the people that stand up to this cronyism are called radicals. The only way to restore equality to this country is to take away the hostage situation the rich promote and end the "control" they have over money. Anything else just plays into their hands (regulations strangle small companies not large, taxes confuse individuals not corporate finance departments, inflation hurts seniors and doesn't encourage business investment, bailouts pay corporate bonuses not workers). I don't care how tinfoil hatish this sounds. It's the truth and the state of things and until people realize this and remove the power of complete control the government has, we'll all be puppets on a string playing into the game (unless you're smart/rich enough to sit at their table).

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Lost_In_Translation

I don't care how tinfoil hatish this sounds.

That's a relief.